Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post 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 then on.
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 four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"James was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown is the average from all the votes.
