Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
At a Glance
- Forest were already through to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, even though they needed several results to fall in their favor.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters belief that their team can navigate the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest scored again when the impressive James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on the winger.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
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Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with half of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this match from the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent finishes and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope 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 reaction," continued the manager.
"I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs."
Star Performer
Number: 19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Ratings
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating displayed is the average from all the votes.
