Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros
Match Summary
- Forest were already through to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a opening period lead.
- The striker's European strike puts Forest in command.
- Striker nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- The midfielder caps a great performance with a spot-kick.
Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright 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 early stages when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.
Jesus' 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent McAtee scored from a penalty 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 (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another stride forward, but it is a positive one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the threat of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.
This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.
Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on the weekend.
"All you can ask for is a response," continued the manager.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just go and show your ability.
"McAtee was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Player of the Match
Number: 19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Top Players
- #19: Rating 9.1
- #24: Rating 8.8
- R. Yates: Rating 8.6
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.9
The Visitors Ratings
- #11: Rating 4.14
- Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating shown represents the average from all the submissions.
