Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they required other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown represents the average from all the submissions.
