Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
The hosts had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post 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 then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score shown is the mean from all the votes.
