Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give the supporters confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with half of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating shown represents the average from all the submissions.
