The match at the Estadio La Cartuja was a tale of two halves. Forest fell behind early after Cédric Bakambu's powerful opener for Betis. However, the visitors responded swiftly with a quickfire double from summer signing Igor Jesus, who put them in a deserved 2-1 lead at halftime.
The second half was a more cagey affair. While Betis enjoyed the majority of possession, they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities until the 85th minute, when Brazilian international Antony found the back of the net to level the score.
The draw means Nottingham Forest avoided defeat in their opening European game for the first time since 1984, but it also extends manager Ange Postecoglou's winless start to his tenure, making him the first permanent Forest manager to fail to win any of his first four games since 1946. While Forest will be disappointed not to have taken all three points, the result in an intimidating atmosphere against a strong Spanish side is a positive start to their Europa League campaign.