Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker 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 shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward 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' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two superb goals and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
