Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off 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 Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of making the top eight, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick 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 players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got 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 brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
