🔗 Share this article Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros Igor Jesus has now notched 11 goals in every tournament for the club this campaign. At a Glance Forest were already through to the play-offs. Bence Otvos deflection gives hosts a first-half lead. The striker's European strike puts the team in control. Forward adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half. James McAtee rounds off a excellent performance with a spot-kick. Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground. Forest had already secured a place in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of making the top eight, even though they needed other matches to fall in their favor. Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16. Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from that point forward. Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his tenth strike of the season. Jesus' eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper. That goal killed off Ferencvaros' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye. The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club. "It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche. "That was another step, but it is a good step." Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as New Signing Watches On Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with half of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League. This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be providing motivation. Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the directors' box. That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs. Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Forest jersey since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well. These encouraging performances will give the club some fresh hope as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome Crystal Palace on the weekend. "All you can ask for is a response," added the manager. "I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your ability. "McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are good signs." Player of the Match #19 The Striker Average rating: 9.10 Nottingham Forest Key Performers Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1 #24: Average Rating 8.8 R. Yates: Rating 8.63 I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0 #31: Rating 7.94 Ferencváros Notable Players B. Yusuf: Rating 4.14 #66: Rating 4.12 K. Zachariassen: Rating 4.1 After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the rating shown is the average from all the votes.