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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” was chanted around the stadium as Forest fans celebrated a further result against their Swedish opponents. Much has occurred since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the European Cup in the year 1979, but the club still treasure those memories. Equally, major shifts have occurred in the weeks since the manager assumed control, with the team looking reinvigorated and securing a convincing win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their hopes of progressing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Another Straight Win

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their domestic league – marked a third consecutive win across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's success at Anfield. While this match was a reminder of Forest’s historic triumph in spirit, the encounter itself was devoid of any significant jeopardy or nerves.

It proved to be an occasion filled with sentiment, an longed-for reunion and the third clash between the teams since the showpiece event 46 years ago.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the red-carpet treatment. 13 members of the Swedish club’s squad from that time were also in attendance. The two clubs enjoyed a dinner together prior to the match. Forest legends and company were given a tumultuous welcome when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before the start, and a typically impressive display was unveiled in the Trent End.

Recalling History

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left,” read half of a large banner, in capital letters. While nobody required a reminder of what happened next, the rest was unfurled as the squads emerged from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. A second stunning tifo showed Clough watching events beside his right-hand man Taylor on a bench at the Munich stadium.

Dominance from the Outset

So, Forest had drunk in those wonderful recollections, but what about the showing on the night? It was impressive, too. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo fired an effort wide inside the opening moments and established a two-goal advantage by the half-time interval. Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Zach Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Ryan Yates, who came to Forest as an eight-year-old, made the first dent in the Malmö defence led by their own academy product captain, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds United and Brentford. The Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic saw a cross cannon off a defender and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from the edge of the box to register his first goal since last March.

Second Goal Seals Control

Yates was involved in Forest’s next goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header saved by the goalkeeper Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to tap in the loose ball from close range. McAtee, the playmaker given a rare start and only his second outing since September, was the spark, chipping a delicious ball towards Yates at the back post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was deflected aside off Malmö back Colin Rösler, the son of ex- Manchester City striker Uwe Rösler, and an free the defender also earlier had a powerful header smartly repelled by Ellborg, who returned in place of the ex- Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Opponent's Struggles

This was Malmö’s initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they struggled to match the home team's energy. The Reds extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a corner. The captain had a volley blocked, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

The home side then went for the jugular, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious effort off target from distance. It was that kind of nights. The manager, aware of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton, made seven changes from the team that stunned Liverpool at Anfield recently, when they also scored three goals, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and further fresh legs during the second half.

Hiccup-Free Night for Forest

It proved a hiccup-free night for Forest. The coach could withdraw Murillo with the game already sewn up and subsequently introduced teenage defender Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche discussed the club legends supplying “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the present squad demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, too.