Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident 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 did hit the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – 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 a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double 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 providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted 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 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the average from all the submissions.