Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round.
- Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in control.
- Forward adds a third with a sharp finish in the second half.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed several results to go their way.
Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give the supporters belief that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
Jesus' eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent 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 lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.
"That was another stride forward, but it is a good one."
Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge 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.
This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope 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," added Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability.
"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 Igor Jesus
Match rating: 9.10
Forest Key Performers
- #19: Average Rating 9.10
- #24: Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0
- N. Milenković: Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- #66: Rating 4.12
- #16: Rating 4.1
Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the score displayed is the mean from all the votes.
