Igor Jesus Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors 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 reaching the league's elite, although they required other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the impressive McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, 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
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker 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 the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the rating displayed is the average from all the submissions.
