Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Conclude European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a small chance of making the league's elite, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring 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 firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the threat of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions 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 bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
