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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” rang out around the stadium as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated another win against their Swedish opponents. A great deal has happened since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the European Cup in 1979, but the club continue to cherish those memories. Similarly, significant changes have taken place in the weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with the team appearing refreshed and earning a comfortable win thanks to goals from Kalimuendo, Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Gaining Momentum with Third Straight Victory

For Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for nearly a month after ending sixth in their home competition – marked a third straight triumph across every tournament and added to the momentum gained from last weekend’s stunning victory at Liverpool. While this match was a re-run of the club's historic success in spirit, the encounter itself was free of any real jeopardy or jitters.

It proved to be an event dripping in sentiment, an eagerly awaited meeting and the third clash between the sides since the European Cup final over four decades past.

Forest fully embraced the history, paying tribute to the heroes of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s squad from that time were also present. Both teams enjoyed a dinner together before the kick-off. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and company received a rousing welcome when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically impressive display was shown in the home stand.

Recalling the Past

“30th May 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left flank,” displayed one part of a large banner, in capital letters. While nobody needed reminding of what happened next, the remaining section was unfurled as the players emerged from the tunnel. “And there’s Francis,” it continued. Another stunning tifo showed Brian Clough watching events beside his right-hand man Taylor on a dugout at the Munich stadium.

Control from the Start

So, the hosts had drunk in those beautiful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was impressive, as well. They were in full command from the moment the forward fired an effort wide inside two minutes and built a two-goal lead by the half-time interval. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his first European start, had a go.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who came to the club aged eight, made the first dent in the Malmö defense captained by their own homegrown skipper, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford FC. The home defender Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a defender and into the path of the midfielder, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the box to score his first goal since March.

Second Strike Seals Dominance

The scorer was involved in the team's next goal on the brink of half-time, as well, his free header saved by the goalkeeper Ellborg but Kalimuendo on hand to convert the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a rare start and just his second appearance since the autumn, was the spark, chipping a perfect ball towards his teammate at the back post.

Just moments before, Callum Hudson-Odoi driven shot was deflected aside off the defender Rösler, the son of ex- Man City forward Uwe Rösler, and an unmarked Milenkovic also earlier had a powerful header instinctively saved by the keeper, who returned in place of the former Villa goalie Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was the Swedish side's first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they struggled to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds made it 3-0 when Milenkovic scored after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a set-piece. The captain had a volley stopped, but the Serbian centre-back Milenkovic pounced on the rebound.

The home side then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a effort on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious effort wide from 30 yards. It was that kind of nights. The manager, mindful of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented multiple alterations from the side that stunned Liverpool at their ground recently, when they also scored three times, though he called on substitutes and Igor Jesus midway through the second half.

Hiccup-Free Night for the Team

It proved a hiccup-free evening for Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the game already boxed off and later brought on teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his first-team debut. He discussed the club legends providing “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the current crop demonstrated they are able of producing of excitement, too.