Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude European Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent performance with a penalty.
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 their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their side can navigate 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 away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless 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 (midday UK time), where 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 whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Rating 8.6
- #6: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown is the mean from all the submissions.
