After 90 minutes of dominance, the Reds were forced to settle for a disappointing 0-0 draw. At the Merkur Arena, Forest’s relentless attacking rhythm and high pressure gave Sturm Graz a headache. However, in the end, their persistence in front of the goal didn’t pay off.
A corner delivered by Neco Williams found the eager Milenkovic, who headed across to Yates – only for his effort to be cleared off the line.
Graz nearly took the lead when Otar Kiteishvili’s low, powerful shot forced a sharp save from Furtado. The danger wasn’t cleared, though – his parry fell kindly to Malone, who tapped it in, but the offside flag came to Forest’s rescue. It was a sharp reminder of the home side’s counter-attacking threat.
Williams was a constant menace down the right. In the 33rd minute, his persistent pressing paid off when his cross struck a defender’s hand, earning Forest a penalty. Morgan Gibbs-White stepped up but his sloppy penalty was saved by Oliver Christensen.
Just before the break, Tomi Horvat tested Furtado, forcing the keeper into a brilliant low save to keep the scores level.
Opportunities came and went for Forest, but it wasn’t enough to secure a memorable win over the Austrian side. Repeated attacks from Williams, Domínguez and Gibbs-White caused havoc, but the Reds couldn’t find the finishing touch to make their dominance count.