Forest's Striker Fires Twice as The Reds Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of making the league's elite, although they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived 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 killed off the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against 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 Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.1
- #16: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.
