Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a small chance of making the top eight, even though they required several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face 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 entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
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 the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the rating shown represents the average from all the votes.
