Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes 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 recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent goals and overall being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the average from all the submissions.
