Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of reaching the top eight, although they required several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters confidence that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel 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 good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with six of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the threat of a challenge for his place in the forward line 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.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
The forward was not the only one 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 the Swiss international also performed well.
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.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James 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: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the votes.
