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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed around the stadium as Nottingham Forest followers celebrated a further result against their Swedish opponents. A great deal has transpired since Francis's decisive header clinched the European Cup back in the year 1979, but the club still treasure those glorious moments. Similarly, significant changes 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 Milenkovic, enhancing their hopes of advancing in the Europa League.

Gaining Momentum with Third Straight Win

For Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had not played for nearly a month after ending sixth in their domestic league – represented a third consecutive triumph across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from the previous week's stunning victory at Liverpool. While this match was a reminder of Forest’s European Cup success in name, the game itself was free of any significant tension or nerves.

This was an event dripping in nostalgia, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third clash between the teams since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

The home side leaned into the history, honoring the legends of that era by giving them, along with their visiting opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Malmö's squad from then were also in attendance. The two clubs shared a meal together prior to the match. Forest legends and their teammates received a tumultuous welcome when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically superb tifo was unveiled in the Trent End.

Recalling History

“30th May 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left flank,” displayed half of a large banner, in block capitals. While nobody required a reminder of what ensued, the rest was revealed as the squads emerged from the tunnel. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another stunning tifo showed Clough observing proceedings beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those wonderful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was pretty good, too. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an effort off target inside the opening moments and built a two-goal advantage by the half-time interval. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Zach Abbott, on his maiden European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defence captained by their own academy product captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a defender 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.

Second Goal Confirms Control

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s next goal on the verge of the interval, as well, his unmarked header saved by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to convert the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and just his second appearance since September, was the catalyst, chipping a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.

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

Malmö’s Struggles

This was the Swedish side's initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they struggled to match Forest’s intensity. Forest made it 3-0 when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a corner. Yates had a volley stopped, but the Serbian centre-back Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

The home side then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a effort on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious effort off target from 30 yards. It was that kind of evenings. Dyche, aware of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented seven changes from the team that surprised the Reds at Anfield last weekend, when they also scored three goals, though he introduced substitutes and further fresh legs during the second half.

Smooth Night for Forest

It proved a flawless evening for Nottingham Forest. The coach could withdraw the defender with the match already boxed off and later introduced teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the club legends providing “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, nearly fifty years on, the present squad demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, too.