Igor Jesus Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of making the league's elite, although they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header 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 then on.
They broke the deadlock in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating displayed represents the average from all the votes.
