UEFA Europa League
Nottingham Forest 4 – 0 Ferencváros FT
Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.
The hosts had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and went into this game with a small chance of making the top eight, although they needed several results to go their way.
That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.
Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.
They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Jesus' 11th arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the goalkeeper.
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 foul by the unfortunate Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.
The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.
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Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League.
This double also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be spurring him on.
Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game in the stands.
That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes for his goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and movement.
Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also impressed.
These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday.
