Igor Jesus Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, although they required several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield 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 tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this term with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score displayed is the mean from all the submissions.
