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The Brazilian attacker found the net on two occasions as Nottingham Forest concluded the group stage of the European competition with a convincing win against their Hungarian visitors at the City Ground.

Forest had already secured a place in the next qualifying round and went into this fixture with a slim possibility of reaching the league's elite, even though they required other matches to fall in their favor.

That did not happen but this confident performance will give the supporters belief that their side can come through the two-legged play-off to reach the last 16.

A Ferencvaros midfielder struck the post with a headed effort inside the opening stages for the away team – coached by ex-Premier League forward Robbie Keane – but it was dominantly the home side from that point forward.

They broke the deadlock in the early stages when Ryan Yates' cross was turned into his own net by the defender and doubled the lead four minutes later – the striker firing an effort in at the far post for his tenth strike of the campaign.

The forward's eleventh goal came soon after the restart when he timed a run perfectly to break clear of the defence and then place a shot past the shot-stopper.

That goal killed off the visitors' aspirations of mounting a recovery and instead Forest scored again when the excellent McAtee converted a spot-kick after a foul by the unfortunate Bence Otvos inside the box on the winger.

Europe's secondary club competition knockout phase play-off lottery takes place on Friday, 30 January (midday UK time), where Nottingham Forest might face either Fenerbahce or the Greek club.

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

"This is another stride forward, but it is a good one."

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

His brace also means he has scored three goals in his last two games and the prospect of competition for his position in attack could be spurring him on.

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

That may well have been on Jesus' thoughts as he was impressive against Ferencvaros, producing two superb finishes and generally being a menace to the visitors' defence with his pace and runs.

The forward was not alone in catching the eye, with McAtee turning in his finest display in a Nottingham Forest shirt since joining from Manchester City in the previous transfer window, while Dan Ndoye also performed well.

These encouraging performances will give Forest some renewed optimism as they switch focus to increasing the gap from the Premier League relegation zone when they welcome their London rivals on the weekend.

"The minimum requirement is a response," continued 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 Ndoye was incredibly lively. Igor got another two and these are positive indicators."

Star Performer

Nottingham Forest Key Performers

• Igor Jesus: Rating 9.10
• J. McAtee: Average Rating 8.8
• R. Yates: Rating 8.6
• I. Sangaré: Rating 8.01
• N. Milenković: Rating 7.9

Ferencváros Notable Players

• #11: Rating 4.1
• Júlio Romão: Average Rating 4.1
• #16: Average Rating 4.09