Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
At a Glance
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent display with a penalty.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest rounded off the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the round of sixteen.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck 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.
Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Watches On
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently 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, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement.
The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a response," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- #31: Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.14
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the mean from all the submissions.
