Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
