NOTTINGHAM FOREST’S seven-year-hitch returned to haunt them as Antoine Semenyo’s late leveller denied them a rare opening day win.
Forest haven’t celebrated an opening day victory since they beat Millwall 1-0 in 2017.
However they looked on course to end their hoodoo when Chris Wood cashed in on a fumble from Brazilian keeper Neto to fire Forest into a first half lead.
But with just four minutes remaining Forest saw their dream start to the season ripped from them as Bournemouth proved there is life after Dominic Solanke.
Sub Ryan Christie delivered a wicked low cross into the box, Harry Toffolo’s attempted clearance cannoned off Willy Boly, and Semenyo pounced to force the ball home despite a heroic effort from Matz Sels to keep it out.
In the end neither side could grumble about sharing the spoils in an evenly contested affair which saw them both come out with plenty of credit.
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But Forest still can’t seem to beat their bogey team Bournemouth who are now unbeaten in nine against the Reds.
It would have been so easy for Forest to buckle following a horror injury to Danilo after seven minutes.
The Brazilian midfielder went up for a mid-air challenge with Antoine Semenyo and the pair landed in a heap on the turf.
Although Semenyo was able to continue after treatment to his shoulder, Danilo lay stricken on the turf and it was quickly clear that something was seriously wrong.
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Anxious Forest players looked visibly upset and had to be ushered away to the touchline as paramedics and physios rushed to Danilo’s assistance.
It looked ominous when medics then used four Forest flags to shield the stricken 23-year-old from view.
But eventually Danilo emerged with his left ankle immobilised and was stretchered off to warm applause and his theme song ‘Danilo,’ to the tune of Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold.’
Forest then proceeded to show that they were pretty indestructable as they put their team-mate’s plight to the back of their minds and set about Bournemouth.
With club captain Ryan Yates on for Danilo they poured forward and Morgan Gibbs-White fired in an ambitious attempt from 25 yards which flew just over.
The breakthrough came midway through the first half as Forest cashed in on some sloppy goalkeeping from Bournemouth No.1 Neto.
Wood worked a 1-2 with Anthony Elanga and Adam Smith’s attempted clearance deflected into the path of Yates.
He fizzed in a right-footer from the edge of the box which Neto got hands to but pushed back out into the danger area.
Wood, like any top class striker, had anticipated the potential blunder and moved in for the kill as he side-footed the ball beyond the Brazilian ‘keeper from eight yards.
As Forest went in search of a second, Neto did his best to atone, diving full stretch to push away a low lomg-range effort from Elanga which threatened to creep in at the back post.
But Bournemouth battled back and came within a whisker of levelling the game after 32 minutes with a corner routine straight from the training ground which caught Forest napping.
Lewis Cook worked a cute 1-2 with Marcus Tavernier, who back-heeled the ball into his path.
Cook’s low delivery was only half-cleared and Dango Ouattara pounced to slam the ball beyond Matz Sels.
However the Cherries’ celebrations were abruptly halted when VAR intervened.
After a lengthy check it was decided Cook had strayed a fraction offside as he accepted Tavernier’s return pass and Forest breathed again.
Neco Williams smashed a shot just over before the game spilled into 11 minutes of first-half stoppage time.
Sels did well to block Luis Sinisterra before the Belgian goalie did well to pluck a Tavernier free-kick out as it hurtled towards the top corner.
Cook and Neco Williams were booked for fouls either side of half-time before Neto did well to dive to his left to palm away a netbound Boly header from a corner.
Bournemouth were refusing to go away however and Tavernier forced Sels to save low down with another decent effort.
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Both managers used their bench, making nine second-half changes between them.
And it was one of them, Ryan Christie, who salvaged a hard-earned point for the Cherries with that late delivery which Semenyo gleefully cashed in on.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
