Igor Jesus Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side 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 nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a small chance of making the league's elite, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the hapless 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 Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the votes.