Aina injured, Awoniyi subbed on as Nottingham Forest open Premier League season with draw

Super Eagles stars Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina were involved as Nottingham Forest started their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

A goal each from Chris Wood and Antoine Semenyo were the game deciders as the Tricky Trees and Cherries shared the points in the first draw of the new Premier League season.

Nottingham Forest suffered an early blow as star midfielder Danilo had to be substituted due to a disturbing injury from an awkward collision and fall, with initial reactions suggesting that the injury might be quite serious.

There was some succour for the Tricky Tees, however, as his replacement Ryan Yates made an immediate impact forcing a save from Neto, who fumbled the ball, allowing Chris Wood to open the scoring from close range.

Ten minutes later, Forest's defence had a lucky escape. After a disastrous attempt to clear a corner in their six-yard box, they conceded, but Dango Ouattara’s goal was disallowed due to an offside in the build-up.

Less than 10 minutes after the start of the second half, Nottingham Forest’s luck turned for the worse as Nigerian defender Aina was also forced off with an apparent injury.

Their run of bad luck got worse as Semenyo found a crucial equaliser for Bournemouth in the 86th minute with a low drive to tie the game at 1-1.

Super Eagles striker Awoniyi, who was tipped to be Nottingham Forest’s top scorer this season, could only afford 18 minutes on the pitch, failing to make an impact.