Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts the team in control.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the second half.
- The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a penalty.
Igor Jesus scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round 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 performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' eleventh goal 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.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with half of his 11 goals coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker 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 superb goals and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and runs.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international 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 their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your quality.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another two and these are good signs."
Player of the Match
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.12
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the mean from all the submissions.
