Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a header 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 a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's 11th arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.1
After the opportunity to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown is the average from all the submissions.
