Igor Jesus Scores Twice as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in control.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of making the top eight, even though they required several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with half of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect 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 watching this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two superb goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions 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 the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating displayed is the average from all the submissions.
