Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- #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
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions.
