Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a great display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a small chance of reaching the league's elite, although they required several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give Forest fans belief that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' 11th came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating shown represents the mean from all the votes.
