Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Conclude European Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a small chance of making the top eight, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's 11th came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off 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 guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week 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 the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the average from all the submissions.
