Igor Jesus Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection 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 rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place 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 assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed 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 turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.0
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the votes.
