Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they required several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown represents the mean from all the votes.
