Forest's Striker Fires Twice as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts the team in control.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this assured display will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the back 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 place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this term with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
