🔗 Share this article Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros Igor Jesus has now scored eleven strikes in every tournament for Nottingham Forest this campaign. At a Glance The home side were already through to the knockout round. A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead. Igor Jesus' European strike puts Forest in command. Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the latter period. The midfielder caps a excellent performance with a penalty. The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a comfortable triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium. Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the knockout round play-offs and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, although they needed other matches to go their way. Those results failed to materialize but this assured display will give the supporters belief that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen. A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on. Forest broke the deadlock in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season. Jesus' eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot past the shot-stopper. The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the box on the winger. The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos. "It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche. "This is another stride forward, but it is a good one." Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this season with half of his 11 goals coming in the Europa League. This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on. Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was watching this game from the directors' box. This development may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement. The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with James McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also impressed. Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend. "The minimum requirement is a response," added Dyche. "I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your ability. "McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are good signs." Star Performer #19 The Striker Average rating: 9.10 Forest Key Performers Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1 #24: Average Rating 8.8 R. Yates: Rating 8.63 #6: Rating 8.0 #31: Average Rating 7.9 Ferencváros Notable Players #11: Average Rating 4.1 Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1 #16: Rating 4.09 Once the chance to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown is the average from all the submissions.