🔗 Share this article Forest's Striker Scores a Brace as The Reds Conclude European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents The Brazilian forward has now notched eleven strikes in every tournament for the club this season. Match Summary Forest were previously qualified to the knockout round. A Ferencvaros defender deflection gives hosts a first-half lead. Igor Jesus' European strike puts the team in command. Striker nets again with a clinical effort in the second half. James McAtee caps a excellent display with a spot-kick. The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground. The hosts had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, although they required several results to go their way. Those results failed to materialize but this confident performance will give Forest fans confidence that their team can come through the home-and-away tie to reach the last 16. Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the visitors – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from then on. Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second shortly after – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign. The forward's eleventh goal arrived soon after the restart when he made a perfectly-timed run to escape the defence and then place a shot past the goalkeeper. That goal ended the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the impressive James McAtee scored from a penalty after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger. Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw is scheduled on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club. "It's more than the result, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche. "This is another step, but it is a good one." Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in European competition this term with six of his 11 goals coming in the tournament. This double also means he has got a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the prospect of competition for his place in the forward line could be providing motivation. Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week signed on loan and he was watching this game from the stands. That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent goals and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and movement. Jesus was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his finest display in a Forest jersey since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well. Such positive showings will give the club some fresh hope as they turn their attention to increasing the gap 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 ability. "McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators." Star Performer #19 The Striker Average rating: 9.1 Forest Top Players #19: Rating 9.10 J. McAtee: Rating 8.75 #22: Average Rating 8.6 #6: Rating 8.0 #31: Rating 7.9 The Visitors Notable Players #11: Rating 4.14 Júlio Romão: Rating 4.12 K. Zachariassen: Average Rating 4.1 Once the chance to submit ratings has ended, the rating displayed represents the mean from all the votes.