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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” was chanted around the City Ground as Forest fans reveled in a further win against their Swedish opponents. A great deal has happened since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the European Cup back in 1979, but the club still cherish those glorious moments. Similarly, major changes have occurred in the weeks since Sean Dyche assumed control, with the team appearing refreshed and securing a convincing win thanks to goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, enhancing their hopes of progressing in the Europa League.

Building Steam with Another Straight Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this performance – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for nearly a month after finishing sixth in their domestic league – marked a third consecutive triumph across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's stunning victory at Anfield. While this match was a re-run of Forest’s European Cup success in spirit, the encounter itself was devoid of any real jeopardy or jitters.

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

Forest leaned into the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö opponents, the VIP welcome. 13 members of the Malmö's squad from then were also present. The two clubs shared a meal together prior to the kick-off. Forest legends and their teammates were given a tumultuous reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a characteristically impressive tifo was shown in the Trent End.

Remembering the Past

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed half of a large banner, in block capitals. While nobody required a reminder of what ensued, the rest was revealed as the players emerged from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. Another stunning tifo depicted Clough observing events beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a dugout at the Munich stadium.

Control from the Outset

So, the hosts had soaked up those beautiful memories, but what about the performance on the night? It was strong, as well. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo fired an effort wide inside two minutes and built a two-goal lead by the break. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, had a go.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the first dent in the visitors' defense captained by their own homegrown captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The home defender Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the path of Yates, who finished with his right foot from the edge of the box to register his first goal since March.

Second Goal Seals Control

The scorer was involved in the team's second goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header saved by Malmö’s shot-stopper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward poised to tap in the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder handed a seldom start and only his second appearance since September, was the catalyst, lofting a perfect ball towards his teammate at the far post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was turned aside off Malmö back Colin Rösler, the son of ex- Manchester City striker Uwe Rösler, and an unmarked the defender also previously had a strong header instinctively repelled by the keeper, who returned in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on November 9th, and they found it hard to match the home team's intensity. Forest made it 3-0 when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a corner. The captain had a shot stopped, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with Hudson-Odoi chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Sangaré sent an ambitious effort off target from 30 yards. It was that kind of nights. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton, implemented seven changes from the team that stunned Liverpool at their ground last weekend, when they additionally netted three goals, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and further fresh legs midway through the second half.

Smooth Evening for Forest

It proved a hiccup-free evening for Nottingham Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the match already boxed off and subsequently introduced 19-year-old defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the club legends supplying “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop showed they are able of a few nuggets of thrills, too.