Igor Jesus Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off Europa League Campaign with Win over Hungarian Opponents

The Brazilian attacker scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the European competition with a convincing triumph against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.

Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a small chance of making the league's elite, although they required several results to go their way.

That did not happen but this confident performance will give Forest fans belief that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to reach the round of sixteen.

Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – who are managed by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.

They opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was deflected in by the defender and added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the season.

Jesus' 11th came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then drive an effort beyond the shot-stopper.

The third strike killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent James McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye.

The Europa League qualifying round lottery is scheduled on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.

"It's more than the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do collectively well, the entire team," said manager Sean Dyche.

"That was another stride forward, but it is a good step."

Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands

Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.

This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his position in the forward line could be spurring him on.

Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this game from the directors' box.

That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.

Jesus was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions last summer, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.

Such positive showings will give Forest some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.

"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.

"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or integrity. It is just go and show your ability.

"James was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."

Star Performer

Forest Top Players

• #19: Rating 9.1
• J. McAtee: Rating 8.75
• R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
• I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
• #31: Average Rating 7.9

Ferencváros Notable Players

• #11: Average Rating 4.14
• Júlio Romão: Rating 4.1
• #16: Rating 4.1