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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” was chanted through the ground as Nottingham Forest fans reveled in another success against their Swedish opponents. Much has happened since Trevor Francis’s winning header secured the European Cup in the year 1979, but the club continue to hold dear those glorious moments. Similarly, major changes have occurred in the five weeks since Sean Dyche assumed control, with the team appearing refreshed and earning a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, enhancing their hopes of advancing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Another Straight Win

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing in sixth place in their domestic league – marked a third straight triumph across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's success at Liverpool. While this match was a re-run of the club's European Cup success in spirit, the game itself was devoid of any real jeopardy or jitters.

This was an event filled with sentiment, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third competitive clash between the sides since the showpiece event over four decades past.

The home side leaned into the heritage, paying tribute to the heroes of that era by giving them, along with their visiting opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from then were also present. The two clubs shared a meal together before the kick-off. Forest legends and their teammates received a rousing reception when they gathered on the pitch 15 minutes before the start, and a typically superb display was unveiled in the home stand.

Remembering the Past

“30th May 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left flank,” displayed one part of a giant banner, in capital letters. While nobody required a reminder of what ensued, the remaining section was revealed as the players came out from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another stunning tifo depicted Clough watching proceedings beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a bench at the Munich stadium.

Dominance from the Start

So, the hosts had soaked up those wonderful recollections, but what about the performance on the night? It was strong, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo fired an effort wide inside two minutes and built a two-goal lead by the half-time interval. Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Zach Abbott, on his first European start, had a go.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who joined Forest as an eight-year-old, made the first dent in the visitors' defence led by their own homegrown skipper, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The home centre-back Nikola Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from just inside the penalty area to register his first goal since March.

Another Strike Seals Control

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

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was turned wide off Malmö defender Colin Rösler, the son of former Man City striker Uwe, and an unmarked the defender also earlier had a powerful header instinctively repelled by the keeper, who returned in place of the former 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. Forest extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a set-piece. Yates had a shot blocked, but the Serbia centre-back 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 Sangaré sent an ambitious shot wide from 30 yards. It was one of those nights. The manager, mindful of the upcoming league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made multiple alterations from the side that stunned the Reds at Anfield last weekend, when they also netted three goals, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus midway through the final period.

Hiccup-Free Evening for Forest

It turned out to be a hiccup-free night for Nottingham Forest. Dyche could take off the defender with the match already boxed off and subsequently brought on 19-year-old defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the club legends supplying “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the current crop demonstrated they are able of producing of excitement, too.