At a Glance
- The home side were already through to the knockout round.
- A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Striker adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee caps a excellent display with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this game with a small chance of making the league's elite, even though they needed other matches to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give the supporters confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.
That goal killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the scoreline, there was that atmosphere 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 one."
Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in Europe this term with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.
That may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, producing two excellent goals and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and movement.
The forward was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.
Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.
"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.1
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- #19: Rating 9.10
- J. McAtee: Rating 8.8
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94
Ferencváros Notable Players
- B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.09
Once the chance to rate players has closed, the rating shown represents the mean from all the votes.
