Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were already through 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.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached 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 Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than 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.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
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Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing 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 turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the score shown is the average from all the votes.
