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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed through the stadium as Forest followers celebrated another result against Malmö. A great deal has transpired since Trevor Francis’s decisive header secured the continental trophy in the year 1979, but the club still hold dear those glorious moments. Equally, significant shifts have occurred in the weeks since Sean Dyche assumed control, with Forest looking refreshed and securing a convincing win thanks to goals from Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Gaining Steam with Third Consecutive Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after ending sixth in their home competition – represented a third consecutive triumph across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from last weekend’s stunning victory at Liverpool. While this fixture was a re-run of Forest’s European Cup triumph in name, the game itself was devoid of any real tension or jitters.

This was an event filled with sentiment, an longed-for reunion and the third competitive meeting between the teams since the European Cup final over four decades past.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö opponents, the red-carpet treatment. 13 members of the Malmö's squad from then were additionally present. The two clubs enjoyed a dinner together before the match. Forest legends and their teammates received a rousing welcome when they gathered on the field a quarter of an hour before the start, and a characteristically impressive tifo was unveiled in the home stand.

Remembering History

“30th May 1979, John Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed one part of a large tifo, in block capitals. While nobody needed reminding of what happened next, the remaining section was unfurled as the squads came out from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it stated. A second brilliant display showed Brian Clough observing proceedings beside his assistant Taylor on a dugout at the Munich stadium.

Dominance from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those wonderful memories, but what about the performance on the evening? It was pretty good, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an effort off target inside two minutes and established 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 felt fitting that Ryan Yates, who joined Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defence captained by their own homegrown captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds and Brentford FC. The Forest defender Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a opponent and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home right-footed from just inside the box to score his maiden strike since last March.

Another Strike Seals Control

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s second goal on the verge of the interval, as well, his free header parried by the shot-stopper Ellborg but Kalimuendo poised to convert the rebound from close range. McAtee, the playmaker handed a rare start and only his second outing since September, was the catalyst, chipping a delicious ball towards Yates at the far post.

Just moments before, Callum Hudson-Odoi low effort was turned wide off the back Colin Rösler, son of former Man City striker Uwe, and an unmarked the defender also previously had a powerful header smartly repelled by Ellborg, who was back in place of the former Aston Villa goalie Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Difficulties

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

Forest then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was one of those nights. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented multiple alterations from the side that surprised the Reds at Anfield recently, when they also netted three times, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and further fresh legs during the second half.

Smooth Evening for the Team

It turned out to be a flawless night for Forest. The coach could take off Murillo with the match already sewn up and later brought on teenage full-back Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the present squad showed they are able of a few nuggets of excitement, too.