Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Conclude Europa League Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of making the top eight, even though 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 two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
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 a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent goals and overall being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
