🔗 Share this article Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as The Reds Conclude Europa League Group Stage with Victory over Ferencvaros The Brazilian forward has now scored 11 goals in all competitions for the club this season. At a Glance Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round. A Ferencvaros defender own goal gives Nottingham Forest a first-half lead. The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts Forest in command. Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half. James McAtee rounds off a excellent display with a penalty. The Brazilian attacker scored twice as the Premier League side concluded the league phase of the Europa League with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium. The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor. That did not happen but this assured performance will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16. A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a headed effort 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 early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by the defender and added a second shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign. The forward's eleventh goal arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper. The third strike ended Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger. Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos. "It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche. "This is another step, but it is a good step." Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this term with six of his eleven strikes scored in the Europa League. This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of a challenge for his position in the forward line could be providing motivation. Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently signed on loan and he was observing this game from the directors' box. That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent goals and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement. Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also impressed. Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday. "The minimum requirement is a reaction," added Dyche. "I've never questioned their commitment or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality. "James was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are good signs." Star Performer Number: 19 Igor Jesus Match rating: 9.1 Nottingham Forest Top Players Igor Jesus: Rating 9.1 J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8 R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6 I. Sangaré: Rating 8.0 #31: Rating 7.94 Ferencváros Ratings B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.14 #66: Rating 4.12 K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.09 Once the chance to rate players has ended, the score shown is the average from all the submissions.