Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the impressive James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
