Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
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 win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team â coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane â but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after â the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international 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 Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. MilenkoviÄ: Rating 7.9
FerencvĂĄros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- JĂșlio RomĂŁo: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has ended, the rating displayed is the average from all the submissions.
