Igor Jesus Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude European Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they needed other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages 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 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross 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.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the hapless 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 Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.6
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions.
