🔗 Share this article

“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” was chanted through the ground as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated another win against Malmö. Much has occurred since Francis's decisive header clinched the European Cup in the year 1979, but Forest continue to cherish those glorious moments. Similarly, significant changes have occurred in the weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with Forest looking refreshed and earning a comfortable victory courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the Europa League.

Gaining Steam with Another Consecutive Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their domestic league – marked a third straight triumph across all competitions and added to the momentum gained from last weekend’s stunning victory at Anfield. While this match was a reminder of Forest’s European Cup success in spirit, the encounter itself was devoid of any significant tension or nerves.

This was an occasion filled with nostalgia, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third competitive meeting between the teams since the showpiece event 46 years ago.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of 1979 by providing them, along with their visiting counterparts, the red-carpet treatment. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s squad from then were also in attendance. Both teams enjoyed a meal together prior to the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and their teammates received a tumultuous reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before the start, and a typically superb tifo was unveiled in the Trent End.

Recalling History

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left flank,” read half of a giant tifo, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was revealed as the players emerged from the tunnel. “And there’s Francis,” it continued. Another brilliant tifo depicted Brian Clough observing events beside his assistant Taylor on a bench at the Munich stadium.

Dominance from the Outset

So, the hosts had drunk in those wonderful memories, but what about the performance on the night? It was pretty good, too. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an attempt off target inside the opening moments and built a two-goal advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Zach Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defence captained by their own homegrown skipper, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds and Brentford FC. The Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a delivery cannon off a opponent and into the path of Yates, who finished right-footed from just inside the penalty area to register his first goal since March.

Another Goal Confirms Control

The scorer was implicated in the team's second goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header parried by the shot-stopper Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to convert the rebound from point-blank range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a seldom start and just his second appearance since the autumn, was the catalyst, lofting a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was turned aside off the defender Colin Rösler, son of ex- Man City forward Uwe Rösler, and an free the defender had earlier had a powerful header instinctively saved by the keeper, who returned in place of the ex- Villa goalkeeper Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was the Swedish side's first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on 9 November, and they struggled to match Forest’s intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a corner. Yates had a volley stopped, but the Serbian centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

The home side then went for the jugular, with the winger chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic effort off target from distance. It was one of those nights. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made multiple alterations from the team that stunned Liverpool at their ground recently, when they additionally netted three times, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus during the final period.

Smooth Evening for Forest

It proved a flawless evening for Forest. Dyche could take off the defender with the match long since sewn up and subsequently brought on teenage defender Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the present squad showed they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, too.