Forest's Striker Fires a Brace as The Reds Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros

Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest concluded the league phase of the European competition with a convincing triumph against Ferencvaros at the City Ground.

Forest had previously guaranteed a place in the next qualifying round and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed other matches to go their way.

That did not happen but this assured display will give Forest fans confidence that their team can navigate the home-and-away tie to advance to the round of sixteen.

A Ferencvaros midfielder did hit the upright with a headed effort inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was all Forest from then on.

Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net 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 arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot beyond the goalkeeper.

The third strike killed off Ferencvaros' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a infringement by the hapless Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.

The Europa League knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.

"It is not just the scoreline, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said manager Sean Dyche.

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

Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On

Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Nottingham Forest in Europe this season with six of his 11 goals scored in the tournament.

This double also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his previous two outings and the threat of competition for his place in attack could be providing motivation.

Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was last week brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands.

This development may well have been on the striker's thoughts as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two superb goals and generally being a menace to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.

The forward was not alone 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 impressed.

These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to pulling further away from the bottom three when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.

"All you can ask for is a response," added the manager.

"I've never questioned their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.

"McAtee was excellent and Dan was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are positive indicators."

Player of the Match

Forest Top Players

• Igor Jesus: Average Rating 9.1
• J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
• R. Yates: Average Rating 8.6
• #6: Average Rating 8.01
• N. Milenković: Average Rating 7.94

Ferencváros Ratings

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