Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts 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, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort 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.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
