Igor Jesus Fires a Brace as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Campaign with Victory over Ferencvaros

Igor Jesus found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing win against Ferencvaros at the home stadium.

Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this game with a small chance of reaching the top eight, even though they required other matches to go their way.

That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans confidence that their side can navigate the two-legged play-off to advance to the last 16.

A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the upright with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the visitors – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.

They opened the scoring in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and added a second shortly after – Jesus firing an effort in at the far post for his 10th goal of the campaign.

Jesus' 11th arrived soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then drive an effort past the goalkeeper.

The third strike ended the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the impressive James McAtee converted a penalty after a infringement by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on the winger.

Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or the Greek club.

"It's more than 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 stride forward, but it is a good one."

Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Watches On

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

His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the threat of competition for his place in the forward line could be spurring him on.

Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was watching this match from the stands.

That may well have been on Jesus' mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, delivering two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the visitors' defence with his speed and runs.

Jesus was not the only one in impressing, with McAtee turning in his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.

These encouraging performances will give Forest some fresh hope as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.

"The minimum requirement is a reaction," continued Dyche.

"I have always trusted their commitment or their loyalty or integrity. It is just about displaying your quality.

"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."

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