Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- The home side were already through to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Forward nets again with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a great display with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice 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.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.
That goal ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive 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 knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.
This double also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"All you can ask for is a reaction," added the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Rating 8.63
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
Ferencváros Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score displayed is the average from all the submissions.
