🔗 Share this article Forest's Striker Scores Twice as The Reds Round Off European Group Stage with Victory over Hungarian Opponents The Brazilian forward has now scored eleven strikes in all competitions for the club this season. At a Glance Forest were already through to the knockout round. Bence Otvos own goal gives Nottingham Forest a opening period lead. The striker's fifth goal in Europe puts the team in command. Forward nets again with a sharp finish in the second half. James McAtee caps a excellent performance with a penalty. Igor Jesus scored twice as Nottingham Forest rounded off the league phase of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the home stadium. The hosts had already secured a berth in the knockout round play-offs and entered this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, even though they needed other matches to go their way. That did not happen but this confident display will give Forest fans belief that their team can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16. Kristoffer Zachariassen struck the post with a header inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward. Forest opened the scoring in the early stages when a delivery from midfield was deflected in by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – Jesus firing an effort in at the back post for his tenth strike of the campaign. The forward's eleventh goal came early in the second half when he made a perfectly-timed run to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper. The third strike killed off the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent McAtee scored from a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the penalty area on Dan Ndoye. The Europa League knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on the final Friday of January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either the Turkish side or the Greek club. "It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these guys to do collectively well, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche. "This is another stride forward, but it is a good one." Team Breakdown: Jesus Catches Eye as New Signing Observes from Stands Igor Jesus has been a revelation for Forest in Europe this term with six of his 11 goals scored in the Europa League. This double also means he has scored three goals in his previous two outings and the prospect of a challenge for his position in attack could be spurring him on. Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca was recently brought in temporarily and he was observing this match from the stands. That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against the opposition, delivering two excellent finishes and overall being a menace to the opposition backline with his speed and movement. The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with McAtee producing his best performance in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from the champions in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well. Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on Sunday. "All you can ask for is a reaction," added Dyche. "I have always trusted their work ethic or their dedication or integrity. It is just about displaying your ability. "McAtee was very good and Dan was incredibly lively. Jesus got another two and these are positive indicators." Star Performer #19 The Striker Match rating: 9.10 Forest Top Players #19: Average Rating 9.10 #24: Average Rating 8.8 #22: Average Rating 8.63 #6: Rating 8.01 N. Milenković: Rating 7.94 Ferencváros Notable Players B. Yusuf: Average Rating 4.1 #66: Rating 4.12 #16: Average Rating 4.09 After the opportunity to submit ratings has closed, the rating shown represents the mean from all the submissions.