Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a excellent display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they required other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two superb finishes and overall being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the average from all the submissions.
