Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in control.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a great performance with a penalty.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
That goal ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating displayed is the average from all the votes.
