Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a small chance of making the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal 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 infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing 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.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus 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 commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
