Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place 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 directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two superb finishes and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
