Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a small chance of making the top eight, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give the supporters belief that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where 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 manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival 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.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this match from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a response," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to submit ratings has closed, the score shown represents the average from all the votes.
