🔗 Share this article Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Victory over Hungarian Opponents The Brazilian forward has now notched eleven strikes in every tournament for the club this campaign. At a Glance Forest were previously qualified to the play-offs. A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead. Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in command. Striker adds a third with a clinical effort in the second half. The midfielder caps a excellent display with a penalty. The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing 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 game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, although they required other matches to fall in their favor. That did not happen but this assured display will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to advance to the round of sixteen. A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on. They 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 shortly after – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season. The forward's 11th arrived early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper. That goal ended the visitors' hopes of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger. Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club. "It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche. "This is another stride forward, but it is a good step." Forest Analysis: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with half of his eleven strikes coming in the tournament. This double also means he has got three goals in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be providing motivation. Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this match from the stands. That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs. Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well. Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday. "All you can ask for is a response," continued Dyche. "I've never questioned their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality. "James was very good and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another couple and these are positive indicators." Player of the Match #19 The Striker Match rating: 9.10 Forest Top Players Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.10 J. McAtee: Rating 8.75 #22: Average Rating 8.6 I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0 #31: Average Rating 7.94 Ferencváros Notable Players #11: Rating 4.14 #66: Average Rating 4.1 #16: Rating 4.09 Once the chance to rate players has ended, the rating shown is the average from all the votes.