Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce 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 whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place 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 stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace 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 in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the average from all the votes.
