Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in control.
- Forward nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than 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 good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this term with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the average from all the submissions.
