Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – 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 turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the rating shown is the average from all the votes.
