Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, although they needed other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.