Igor Jesus Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents
Match Summary
- The home side were previously qualified to the play-offs.
- Bence Otvos deflection gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead.
- Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command.
- Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the latter period.
- James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick.
The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium.
The hosts had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the league's elite, although they required other matches to fall in their favor.
That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the upright with a headed effort 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 then on.
Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign.
The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.
That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the unfortunate Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.
Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.
"It is not just the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.
"This is another step, but it is a positive step."
Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands
Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this season with six of his eleven strikes scored in the tournament.
His brace also means he has got three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be providing motivation.
Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this game from the directors' box.
That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, delivering two superb finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City last summer, while the Swiss international also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on Sunday.
"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.
"I've never questioned their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability.
"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators."
Star Performer
#19 The Striker
Average rating: 9.10
Nottingham Forest Key Performers
- Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
- #24: Average Rating 8.75
- #22: Average Rating 8.63
- #6: Rating 8.01
- #31: Average Rating 7.94
The Visitors Notable Players
- #11: Average Rating 4.1
- Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
- K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09
After the opportunity to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the mean from all the submissions.
