The kick off was delayed by 15 minutes by congestion around The City Ground for the only home pre-season game against Champions League semi finalists Olympique Lyonnais.
The French side fielded a strong starting line up with Aly Cissokho and Bafetimbi Gomis costing around £28million.
It took only eight minutes for Gomis to get on the scoresheet when he picked up the ball and from 25 yards blasted it past Paul Smith's despairing dive.
Within a minute Dexter Blackstock was brought down in the area by the France No 1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, but Peter Walton waved the penalty claims away.
The Reds started to settle down and after 21 minutes a neat build up on the left culminated in a shot by Robert Earnshaw that was pushed around the post for a corner by Lloris.
After 34 minutes Forest stunned Lyon with an equaliser when Nathan Tyson's mishit shot found its way to Dele Adebola, who slotted the ball home.
With The Reds looking increasingly comfortable Gomis scored a second from close in on 40minutes after the assistant referee kept the flag down, when the Lyonnais player looked suspiciously offside.
Two minutes into the second half Adebola and Earnshaw combined to put a ball into the path of Blackstock, whose shot was deflected.
From the corner Guy Moussi's shot was tipped spectacularly over the bar by Lloris.
After 56 minutes Chris Cohen put Adebola through in the penalty area and again Walton turned down a penalty appeal as he went down under challenge from the substitute Lyon keeper.
With Lyonnais showing their class Jimmy Briand cut inside Julian Bennett to shoot tamely past a disappointed Paul Smith on 63 minutes.
In the closing minutes substitute Garath McCleary cut in from the left to put the ball across the box for Nialle Rodney to volley wide.
For a pre-season friendly it was an entertaining game, with The Reds being beaten by a very good side.
Forest: Smith(Darlow, 75min), Chambers, Adebola(Rodney 70min), Earnshaw(C), Tyson(Freeman, 74min), Cohen, Gunter(Moloney 70min), Moussi(Thornhill 65min), Blackstock(McCleary 54min), Majewski(McGugan 65min), Bennett
Subs not used: Gibbons, Mullen
Scorer: Adebola 34min
Lyon: Lloris, Briand(Belfodil 65min), Cissokho, Gassama(Abenzoar 72min), Gomis, Gonalons, Ederson(Blanc 65min), Lovren, Pied, Pjanic, Toulalan(Umtiti 82min)
Subs not used: Kallstrom, Reveillere, Seguin, Vercoutre, Novillo, Gorgelin
Scorer: Gomis 8min, 40mins, Briand 63min
Referee: P.Walton
Attendance: 7,178
