Forest's Striker Fires Twice as Nottingham Forest Round Off European Group Stage with Win over Ferencvaros

The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as the Premier League side rounded off the league phase of the Europa League with a comfortable win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.

Forest had previously guaranteed a berth in the next qualifying round and entered this game with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed several results to go their way.

Those results failed to materialize but this assured performance will give Forest fans belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.

Kristoffer Zachariassen did hit the post with a headed effort 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 deflected in by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.

Jesus' 11th arrived early in the second half when he timed a run perfectly to escape the backline and then place a shot beyond the shot-stopper.

That goal killed off the visitors' hopes of mounting a recovery and instead the hosts added a fourth when the impressive McAtee converted a penalty after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.

Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off draw takes place on Friday, 30 January (12:00 GMT), where Forest could be drawn against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos.

"It's more than the result, there was that atmosphere about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the entire team," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.

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

Team Breakdown: Striker Shines as Recent Arrival Watches On

Jesus has been a revelation for Nottingham Forest in European competition this term with six of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.

His brace 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 spurring him on.

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

This development may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against the opposition, producing two superb finishes and overall being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his speed and runs.

Jesus was not alone in impressing, with James McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.

Such positive showings will give Forest some fresh hope as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the bottom three when they host their London rivals on the weekend.

"All you can ask for is a reaction," continued Dyche.

"I have always trusted their work ethic or their loyalty or honesty. It is just about displaying your quality.

"McAtee was excellent and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators."

Player of the Match

Nottingham Forest Top Players

• #19: Average Rating 9.1
• J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
• #22: Rating 8.6
• I. Sangaré: Average Rating 8.0
• #31: Rating 7.94

The Visitors Notable Players

• B. Yusuf: Rating 4.1
• #66: Rating 4.1
• #16: Average Rating 4.09