🔗 Share this article

“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed through the ground as Forest supporters celebrated a further result against Malmö. Much has transpired since Francis's winning header secured the European Cup back in the year 1979, but Forest continue to cherish those glorious moments. Equally, significant shifts have taken place in the five weeks since the manager assumed control, with Forest looking reinvigorated and securing a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the Europa League.

Gaining Momentum with Another Consecutive Victory

For Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after ending sixth in their home competition – represented a third straight win across every tournament and further built on the positive energy gained from the previous week's success at Liverpool. While this fixture was a reminder of Forest’s European Cup success in name, the encounter itself was devoid of any significant tension or jitters.

It proved to be an event filled with nostalgia, an longed-for meeting and the third competitive clash between the teams since the showpiece event over four decades past.

The home side fully embraced the history, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the VIP welcome. 13 members of the Malmö's squad from that time were also in attendance. Both teams shared a meal together prior to the match. Forest legends and their teammates received a tumultuous reception when they assembled on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically superb tifo was shown in the Trent End.

Remembering the Past

“May 30, 1979, Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” displayed half of a giant banner, in block capitals. While no one needed reminding of what happened next, the rest was unfurled as the squads came out from the tunnel. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another brilliant tifo showed Brian Clough watching proceedings beside his right-hand man Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Start

So, the hosts had soaked up those beautiful recollections, but what about the performance on the evening? It was pretty good, too. They were in complete control from the moment the forward fired an attempt off target inside two minutes and established a two-goal lead by the break. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Zach Abbott, on his first European start, had a go.

It felt fitting that Yates, who came to Forest as an eight-year-old, made the initial breakthrough in the Malmö defense captained by their own homegrown skipper, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford. The Forest defender Milenkovic saw a cross cannon off a defender and into the path of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from just inside the box to register his maiden strike since March.

Second Strike Seals Control

The scorer was involved in the team's next goal on the brink of the interval, too, his free header saved by the shot-stopper Ellborg but Kalimuendo poised to tap in the rebound from close range. McAtee, the midfielder given a rare start and only his second appearance since the autumn, was the catalyst, lofting a perfect ball towards Yates at the far post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was turned wide off Malmö defender Rösler, son of former Man City forward Uwe, and an unmarked Milenkovic also previously had a powerful header smartly repelled by Ellborg, who returned in place of the ex- Aston Villa goalie Robin Olsen.

Opponent's Difficulties

This was Malmö’s first match since the domestic league concluded on November 9th, and they struggled to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a corner. The captain had a volley blocked, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with the winger chipping a effort on to the crossbar before Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from 30 yards. It was that kind of evenings. The manager, mindful of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton, implemented seven changes from the side that stunned Liverpool at their ground recently, when they also scored three times, though he introduced substitutes and further fresh legs during the second half.

Smooth Night for Forest

It proved a hiccup-free night for Nottingham Forest. Dyche could withdraw the defender with the game long since sewn up and later introduced 19-year-old defender Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche talked about the club legends supplying “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the present squad demonstrated they are able of producing of thrills, too.