Forest's Striker Fires Twice as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright 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 then on.
Forest 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 squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored 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 signed on loan and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to submit ratings has closed, the score shown represents the mean from all the submissions.
