Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, even though they required several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed 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 Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th 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 ended the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. 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 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed is the mean from all the votes.
