Igor Jesus Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in command.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the European competition 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 top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this assured performance will give the supporters belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the average from all the votes.
