Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face 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 entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb goals and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed is the mean from all the submissions.
