🔗 Share this article Forest's Striker Scores Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Win over Hungarian Opponents The Brazilian forward has now scored eleven strikes in all competitions for the club this season. Match Summary The home side were previously qualified to the knockout round. A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead. Igor Jesus' fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command. Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the latter period. The midfielder caps a great performance with a penalty. The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable win against Ferencvaros at the City Ground. The hosts had already secured a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, although they required several results to fall in their favor. Those results failed to materialize but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen. Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward. Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign. The forward's 11th came soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the goalkeeper. The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of making a comeback and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye. 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 scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche. "That was another step, but it is a positive one." Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the tournament. His brace also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on. Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the stands. This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement. Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well. These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on the weekend. "All you can ask for is a response," added Dyche. "I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality. "James was excellent and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs." Player of the Match Number: 19 Igor Jesus Average rating: 9.10 Nottingham Forest Key Performers #19: Rating 9.1 #24: Average Rating 8.75 #22: Rating 8.63 I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0 #31: Rating 7.9 The Visitors Ratings B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1 Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1 K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1 After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the rating displayed is the mean from all the submissions.