Igor Jesus Fires Twice as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a great display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side 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 knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb goals and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the average from all the submissions.
