Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the top eight, although they required other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance 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 post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give the club 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 reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
