Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off 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 knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a small chance of making the league's elite, even though they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
The third strike killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys 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."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this term with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game 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 menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
