Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of a challenge for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the rating shown represents the average from all the submissions.
