Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, although they needed several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header 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 early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- JĂşlio RomĂŁo: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score displayed is the mean from all the votes.
