Igor Jesus Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they required other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give the supporters belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net 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' 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere 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 one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with half of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a response," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating displayed is the average from all the votes.
