Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, 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 half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the mean from all the votes.
