Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder rounds off a great display with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the European competition with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of making the top eight, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing 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 pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"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.
"McAtee was very good and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score displayed is the average from all the votes.
