Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the directors' box.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Average Rating 4.12
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score shown is the mean from all the submissions.