Igor Jesus Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest 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 added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to submit ratings has closed, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
