Forest's Striker Fires Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League qualifying round draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, 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 stride forward, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the votes.
