Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box 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 result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily 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 finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown is the average from all the votes.