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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed through the ground as Nottingham Forest fans reveled in a further result against Malmö. Much has occurred since Trevor Francis’s decisive header clinched the continental trophy in the year 1979, but Forest continue to cherish those memories. Equally, significant shifts have taken place in the weeks since the manager assumed control, with the team looking refreshed and securing a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their hopes of advancing in the European competition.

Gaining Momentum with Another Consecutive Victory

For Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had not played for nearly a month after ending in sixth place in their home competition – marked a third straight win across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from last weekend’s stunning victory at Anfield. While this fixture was a reminder of the club's European Cup success in name, the encounter itself was free of any real jeopardy or jitters.

It proved to be an occasion filled with nostalgia, an longed-for meeting and the third clash between the teams since the European Cup final over four decades past.

The home side leaned into the history, paying tribute to the heroes of that era by giving them, along with their Malmö opponents, the red-carpet treatment. Thirteen members of the Malmö's team from then were additionally in attendance. Both teams enjoyed a meal together before the match. Forest legends and company received a rousing reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically superb tifo was shown in the home stand.

Recalling History

“30th May 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” read half of a giant tifo, in block capitals. While nobody required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was revealed as the squads emerged from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. Another brilliant display depicted Clough watching proceedings beside his assistant Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, the hosts had soaked up those wonderful recollections, but what about the showing on the evening? It was strong, too. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo fired an attempt off target inside two minutes and established a two-goal lead by the half-time interval. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, had a go.

It felt fitting that Ryan Yates, who joined the club aged eight, made the first dent in the Malmö defense led by their own academy product skipper, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford. The home defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the penalty area to register his maiden strike since March.

Second Goal Confirms Dominance

Yates was implicated in the team's second goal on the brink of half-time, as well, his free header parried by the shot-stopper Ellborg but the alert forward poised to tap in the loose ball from point-blank range. James McAtee, the playmaker given a seldom start and only his second outing since the autumn, was the spark, chipping a delicious ball towards his teammate at the far post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was turned wide off Malmö defender Colin Rösler, the son of former Manchester City forward Uwe, and an unmarked the defender also earlier had a powerful header instinctively repelled by Ellborg, who was back in place of the ex- Aston Villa goalkeeper Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to match the home team's intensity. The Reds made it 3-0 when the defender scored after his defensive colleague Murillo headed back a corner. Yates had a volley blocked, but the Serbian defender Milenkovic feasted on the rebound.

The home side then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the bar before Sangaré sent an ambitious effort off target from distance. It was that kind of evenings. The manager, mindful of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton, made multiple alterations from the team that stunned Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, when they additionally scored three goals, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and further fresh legs during the second half.

Smooth Night for the Team

It turned out to be a flawless night for Forest. Dyche could withdraw the defender with the match long since sewn up and later introduced teenage full-back Jimmy Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard supplying “bits of gold” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the current crop showed they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, as well.