Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest 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 slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the backline and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is 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 Forest in Europe this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not alone in impressing, 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 impressed.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score displayed represents the mean from all the submissions.
