Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, 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.
These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the rating shown represents the mean from all the votes.