Forest's Striker Fires Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in command.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a positive one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this term with six of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings 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 watching this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
