Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a great display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of making the top eight, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat 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 observing this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two superb finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating displayed represents the average from all the submissions.
