Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Conclude European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach 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 ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the impressive McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- #22: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating shown represents the mean from all the votes.
