Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen 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 struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"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 positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two superb goals 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 finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the mean from all the submissions.
