Igor Jesus Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the threat of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the votes.
