Igor Jesus Fires Twice as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright 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 that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side 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 whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
