Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives hosts a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish 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 group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the backline and then drive an effort past the shot-stopper.
The third strike killed off the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the impressive McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League qualifying round lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as New Signing Observes from Stands
Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament.
His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
These encouraging performances will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche.
"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. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
Number: 19 The Striker
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
- #6: Average Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.9
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- #16: Average Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the score shown represents the mean from all the votes.
