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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” rang out around the stadium as Forest followers reveled in another success against Malmö. Much has occurred since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the continental trophy back in the year 1979, but Forest still cherish those memories. Equally, major shifts have taken place in the weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with the team looking reinvigorated and earning a convincing victory thanks to goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Third Straight Victory

For Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their home competition – marked a third consecutive triumph across all competitions and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's success at Liverpool. While this fixture was a re-run of Forest’s historic triumph in name, the game itself was devoid of any real tension or nerves.

It proved to be an event dripping in nostalgia, an longed-for reunion and the third competitive clash between the teams since the showpiece event over four decades past.

Forest leaned into the heritage, honoring the heroes of that era by providing them, along with their visiting counterparts, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from then were additionally present. The two clubs enjoyed a dinner together before the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and their teammates were given a rousing reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before the start, and a typically superb tifo was unveiled in the home stand.

Remembering History

“30th May 1979, Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” read half of a giant banner, in block capitals. While nobody required a reminder of what ensued, the rest was revealed as the squads came out from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. A second brilliant tifo depicted Brian Clough observing events beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Outset

So, Forest had soaked up those beautiful memories, but what about the performance on the night? It was impressive, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an effort off target inside the opening moments and built a two-goal advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Ryan Yates, who came to the club aged eight, made the first dent in the visitors' defence led by their own academy product captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds and Brentford. The Forest defender Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a opponent and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from just inside the penalty area to score his maiden strike since March.

Another Strike Seals Dominance

The scorer was involved in Forest’s next goal on the verge of the interval, too, his free header parried by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but Kalimuendo poised to tap in the rebound from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder handed a seldom start and just his second outing since the autumn, was the spark, lofting a perfect ball towards his teammate at the far post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was deflected wide off the defender Rösler, the son of ex- Man City forward Uwe, and an free the defender had earlier had a powerful header smartly saved by Ellborg, who was back in place of the ex- Villa goalie Olsen.

Opponent's Difficulties

This was Malmö’s initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they found it hard to equal Forest’s intensity. Forest made it 3-0 when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo headed back a corner. Yates had a shot stopped, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with the winger chipping a effort on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious shot wide from distance. It was one of those evenings. The manager, aware of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented seven changes from the team that stunned the Reds at their ground recently, when they also netted three times, though he called on substitutes and Igor Jesus during the final period.

Smooth Night for the Team

It proved a flawless evening for Nottingham Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the game already boxed off and later introduced teenage full-back Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop showed they are able of a few nuggets of excitement, too.