🔗 Share this article

“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed around the City Ground as Nottingham Forest followers reveled in another result against Malmö. Much has happened since Trevor Francis’s decisive header clinched the European Cup in the year 1979, but Forest still cherish those glorious moments. Equally, significant shifts have taken place in the weeks since Sean Dyche assumed control, with Forest appearing reinvigorated and earning a convincing win thanks to goals from Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Gaining Steam with Another Consecutive Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had not played for nearly a month after finishing in sixth place in their home competition – represented a third straight win across every tournament and added to the momentum gained from last weekend’s success at Liverpool. While this match was a reminder of the club's historic success in spirit, the encounter itself was devoid of any real tension or jitters.

This was an event dripping in sentiment, an eagerly awaited meeting and the third competitive meeting between the teams since the showpiece event 46 years ago.

Forest leaned into the history, honoring the legends of that era by giving them, along with their Malmö opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Malmö's squad from that time were additionally in attendance. The two clubs enjoyed a dinner together prior to the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and their teammates were given a tumultuous reception when they assembled on the field a quarter of an hour before the start, and a characteristically impressive tifo was shown in the Trent End.

Remembering the Past

“May 30, 1979, Robertson delivered the ball from the left flank,” read half of a large banner, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was revealed as the players emerged from the dressing rooms. “There is Francis,” it continued. A second brilliant tifo showed Brian Clough watching events beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Outset

So, the hosts had drunk in those wonderful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was impressive, too. They were in full command from the moment the forward fired an attempt wide inside the opening moments and built a 2-0 lead by the break. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his first European start, had a go.

It felt fitting that Ryan Yates, who came to Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the Malmö defense captained by their own homegrown captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The Forest centre-back Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a defender and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home with his right foot from the edge of the box to score his first goal since March.

Another Goal Seals Dominance

The scorer was implicated in the team's next goal on the verge of half-time, too, his free header saved by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to convert the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder handed a rare start and just his second appearance since the autumn, was the catalyst, chipping a delicious ball towards his teammate at the back post.

A minute earlier, Callum Hudson-Odoi driven shot was deflected aside off the defender Colin Rösler, the son of ex- Man City striker Uwe, and an unmarked Milenkovic also earlier had a powerful header instinctively repelled by the keeper, who was back in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was the Swedish side's first match since the domestic league concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to equal Forest’s energy. The Reds extended the lead to three when the defender applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a set-piece. Yates had a shot blocked, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

Forest then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was that kind of nights. The manager, aware of Sunday’s league game here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made multiple alterations from the team that stunned the Reds at their ground recently, when they also netted three times, though he introduced substitutes and further fresh legs during the final period.

Smooth Evening for the Team

It turned out to be a flawless evening for Forest. Dyche could withdraw the defender with the game already boxed off and later introduced teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. He discussed the club legends supplying “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop showed they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, as well.