Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Conclude European Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth 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 go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery 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 draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
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 half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued 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 Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the score shown is the average from all the votes.
