Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, although they required other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating displayed is the average from all the votes.
