Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of making the top eight, even though they required several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season 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 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 the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent goals and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the rating shown is the mean from all the submissions.
