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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed around the City Ground as Nottingham Forest followers celebrated another success against their Swedish opponents. Much has happened since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the European Cup back in 1979, but the club continue to hold dear those memories. Equally, significant changes have occurred in the five weeks since the manager assumed control, with Forest looking reinvigorated and securing a convincing victory courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the European competition.

Gaining Steam with Another Straight Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their domestic league – represented a third consecutive win across all competitions and added to the positive energy generated from last weekend’s success at Liverpool. While this fixture was a re-run of Forest’s historic triumph in spirit, the encounter itself was free of any significant tension or jitters.

It proved to be an occasion dripping in nostalgia, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third competitive meeting between the teams since the European Cup final over four decades past.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, honoring the heroes of 1979 by providing them, along with their Malmö opponents, the red-carpet treatment. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from that time were also in attendance. Both teams shared a meal together before the kick-off. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and their teammates received a tumultuous reception when they gathered on the pitch a quarter of an hour before the start, and a typically impressive display was unveiled in the Trent End.

Remembering History

“30th May 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” read one part of a large banner, in capital letters. While no one needed reminding of what happened next, the rest was revealed as the squads came out from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. A second brilliant display showed Brian Clough watching proceedings beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those beautiful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was strong, as well. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo fired an attempt wide inside two minutes and built a 2-0 advantage by the half-time interval. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Zach Abbott, on his maiden European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Ryan Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defense captained by their own homegrown skipper, Jansson, formerly of Leeds United and Brentford. The Forest defender Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a defender and into the path of the midfielder, who finished right-footed from the edge of the penalty area to register his first goal since last March.

Second Strike Confirms Dominance

Yates was implicated in Forest’s next goal on the brink of half-time, as well, his unmarked header saved by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to convert the loose ball from point-blank range. James McAtee, the midfielder given a rare start and just his second outing since September, was the spark, chipping a perfect ball towards Yates at the far post.

A minute earlier, Callum Hudson-Odoi low effort was deflected wide off the defender Rösler, son of former Man City forward Uwe Rösler, and an unmarked the defender had earlier had a strong header instinctively repelled by the keeper, who was back in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Olsen.

Opponent's Struggles

This was the Swedish side's first match since the domestic league ended on 9 November, and they struggled to match the home team's intensity. Forest extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo headed back a corner. The captain had a volley stopped, but the Serbian centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with the winger chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious shot off target from distance. It was that kind of evenings. Dyche, aware of the upcoming domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made seven changes from the side that stunned the Reds at their ground last weekend, when they additionally netted three times, though he called on substitutes and further fresh legs during the second half.

Hiccup-Free Evening for Forest

It turned out to be a flawless evening for Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the match already boxed off and subsequently brought on teenage full-back Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the current crop showed they are able of a few nuggets of thrills, too.