Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified 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.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee caps a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the top eight, although they needed several results 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 advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from 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 takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two superb goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the mean from all the submissions.
