Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing win 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 reaching the league's elite, although they needed other matches to go their way.
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 round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached 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 deflected in 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 campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the impressive McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this term with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward 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 impressed.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism 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 Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown represents the average from all the votes.
