Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side 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 – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: 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 eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- #24: Average Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score shown represents the mean from all the submissions.
