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The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the Europa League with a convincing 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 fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the top eight, although they needed several results to go their way.

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

A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a header inside the first 10 minutes for the away team – who are managed by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.

Forest broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when a delivery from midfield was turned into his own net by Bence Otvos and added a second four minutes later – Jesus squeezing a shot in at the back post for his 10th goal of the campaign.

Jesus' eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to escape the defence and then place a shot past the goalkeeper.

The third strike killed off the visitors' aspirations of making a comeback and instead the hosts added a fourth when the excellent James McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the hapless Bence Otvos inside the box on Dan Ndoye.

Europe's secondary club competition qualifying round draw takes place on the final Friday of January (12:00 GMT), where Nottingham Forest could be drawn against either the Turkish side or Panathinaikos.

"It is not just the scoreline, there was that feel about it. I want these players to do well as a unit, the whole squad," said Forest boss Sean Dyche.

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

Forest Analysis: Jesus Catches Eye as Recent Arrival Observes from Stands

Igor Jesus has been a standout performer for Forest in European competition this season with half of his eleven strikes coming in the Europa League.

His brace also means he has scored a trio of strikes in his last two games and the prospect of a challenge for his place in attack could be spurring him on.

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

That may well have been on the striker's mind as he was outstanding against Ferencvaros, producing two excellent finishes and generally being a constant threat to the opposition backline with his pace and movement.

The forward was not the only one in catching the eye, with James McAtee producing his best performance in a Forest jersey since signing from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while the Swiss international also performed well.

Such positive showings will give the club some renewed optimism as they turn their attention to pulling further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they host their London rivals on Sunday.

"The minimum requirement is a response," continued the manager.

"I have always trusted their commitment or their dedication or honesty. It is just go and show your quality.

"James was very good and Dan Ndoye was super sharp. Igor got another couple and these are good signs."

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