Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a great performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give the supporters belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back 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 break clear of the backline and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the votes.