Igor Jesus, Nottingham Forest's New Attacking Monster

SEVILLA, THURSDAY — Ange Postecoglou has gone through four matches with Nottingham Forest, but he has yet to experience a single victory. Ange nearly achieved his first win when the team drew 2-2 against Real Betis in the continuation of the Europa League. Both of Forest's goals were scored by Igor Jesus, who increasingly establishes himself as a fox in the opponent's penalty area. He is touted as the new monster of Forest's attacking line.

Forest brought Jesus from the Brazilian club Botafogo for a fee of 10 million pounds (Rp 225 billion) during this summer transfer window. Jesus has consistently been overshadowed by Chris Wood as the main striker for Forest since last season. Wood scored 20 goals last season, ranking fourth after Mohamed Salah (29 goals), Alexander Isak (23 goals), and Erling Haaland (22 goals).

With a goal tally nearly matching that of the top strikers in the English League, it is only natural that Wood is appointed as the main goal machine for Forest.

However, Ange made Forest fans furrow their brows when he played Jesus as a starter against Betis at the Estadio de la Cartuja, Sevilla, Spain, on Thursday (25/9/2025) early morning WIB. He benched Wood to give Jesus the opportunity to play.

So far this season, Jesus has only started once, which was when Forest was eliminated by Swansea City in the third round of the English League Cup. At that time, Jesus responded to Ange's trust by scoring two goals. Although Forest ultimately lost 2-3, that was the turning point where Ange saw Jesus's potential as a fox in the box.

However, Wood remains trusted as a starting player against Burnley in the next match. However, throughout the match, Wood performed below expectations, managing only two shots. His performance led Ange to rearrange the lineup against Betis. Jesus was ultimately chosen to start, and he repaid that trust.

Forest fell behind early with a powerful shot from Cedric Bakambu inside the penalty area in the 15th minute. It took only three minutes for Jesus to equalize. Five minutes later, Jesus scored with a header to turn the situation around.

That was Jesus's fourth goal since joining Forest. In six appearances across all competitions, Jesus has only been trusted to start as a player twice.

Nevertheless, every time he appears, he is always able to score two goals. All four of Jesus' goals were scored from within the opponent's penalty area. He is classified as a clever striker who can read the direction of the ball and exploit open spaces. This advantage has the potential to make him a front-line monster for Forest if he continues to receive playing time.

"He has been great since joining. It is enjoyable. He is still learning how we want to play. He is a hard worker, good in the penalty area, and a great finisher. I am very happy for him," said Ange as quoted from the UEFA website.

Two goals from Jesus at Betis' home nearly allowed Ange to experience his first victory as manager of Forest. However, Betis winger Antony scored an equalizer at the end of the match. In four matches, Ange has only managed to secure two draws and two losses.

Given Jesus's sharpness in the penalty box, it is very likely that Ange will once again trust him to start as a player when hosting Sunderland in the continuation of the English League.

Jesus's outstanding performance every time he is trusted to start directly puts pressure on Wood. A tight competition is emerging in the front line of Forest. Wood, who has long had relatively no rivals for the starting position, is now being challenged by Jesus's arrival.

"Chris Wood definitely has to be wary. He (Jesus) definitely looks like a real threat," said former Forest and West Ham striker Michail Antonio on TNT Sports.

Jesus took six shots throughout the match, the most of any player in the game against Betis. Of those six shots, three were on target and resulted in two goals. Jesus was also noted as the player with the most touches in the opponent's penalty area, with nine touches, alongside Elliot Anderson.

Although failing to maintain victory in the first match of Forest's return to Europe after 29 years, Ange is at least not too disheartened. In this match, he gained a clear insight into Jesus's potential. The rivalry with Wood certainly drives them to strive hard to showcase their best potential. Thus, Ange's wait for his first victory may not be much longer.