Igor Jesus Scores Twice as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a small chance of reaching the top eight, although they needed other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize 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 upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing 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 host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the votes.
