Nottingham Forest were left frustrated in Austria as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Sturm Graz in the Europa League, with captain Morgan Gibbs-White missing a crucial first-half penalty.
The result means Forest remain 18th in the league stage with five points, while their Austrian hosts sit one point behind.
Manager Sean Dyche was forced to make seven changes to his starting XI following the weekend’s Premier League draw against Manchester United, but despite several chances, Forest could not find a breakthrough.
Their best opportunity came ten minutes before half-time when Emanuel Aiwu handled the ball in the box, handing Gibbs-White a golden chance to put Forest ahead. However, his weak spot-kick was saved by Oliver Christensen, and Ryan Yates failed to convert the rebound.
Earlier in the game, Forest had already threatened through James McAtee, who narrowly missed the bottom corner after a clever free-kick routine.
The visitors kept up the pressure from set pieces, with Nikola Milenkovic’s header across goal being met by Yates, only for his effort to be cleared off the line by Arjan Malic.
Nicolas Dominguez came closest in the dying minutes, rattling the crossbar via a deflection.
Sturm Graz thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half when Maurice Malone tapped home after John Victor’s fumble, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The home side rarely troubled Forest’s defence afterward, as Dyche’s men dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
New summer signing Arnaud Kalimuendo struggled to make an impression on his first start since joining from Rennes for £26 million.
With Igor Jesus suspended and Chris Wood injured, the French forward had limited impact, registering just seven touches in the first half.
McAtee, another summer arrival from Manchester City, also failed to convert his early chance and completed just 70% of his passes in a frustrating outing.
Forest will now turn their focus back to the Premier League, where they host Leeds United at the City Ground on Saturday, November 9.
Sturm Graz, meanwhile, will return to domestic action against table-topping RB Salzburg as they continue to search for form in both league and Europe.
