🔗 Share this article

“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed through the City Ground as Forest followers reveled in a further result against Malmö. A great deal has occurred since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the European Cup back in the year 1979, but Forest continue to treasure those glorious moments. Equally, significant shifts have occurred in the weeks since the manager took charge, with the team appearing reinvigorated and earning a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their hopes of progressing in the European competition.

Building Momentum with Third Consecutive Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this performance – against a Malmö side that had not played for almost three weeks after ending sixth in their domestic league – represented a third consecutive win across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's stunning victory at Anfield. While this match was a re-run of the club's historic triumph in name, the encounter itself was free of any real tension or nerves.

This was an event filled with nostalgia, an eagerly awaited meeting and the third clash between the sides since the European Cup final over four decades past.

Forest leaned into the history, paying tribute to the heroes of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Malmö's team from that time were additionally in attendance. Both teams enjoyed a meal together prior to the kick-off. Forest legends and their teammates received a tumultuous reception when they gathered on the field a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically impressive tifo was unveiled in the Trent End.

Recalling the Past

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed one part of a large tifo, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was unfurled as the players emerged from the dressing rooms. “There is Francis,” it stated. A second stunning tifo depicted Clough observing events beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a bench at the Munich stadium.

Control from the Outset

So, Forest had soaked up those wonderful memories, but what about the performance on the night? It was pretty good, as well. They were in complete control from the moment the forward fired an attempt wide inside the opening moments and built a 2-0 advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, had a go.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who came to the club aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defense captained by their own academy product captain, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford. The Forest defender 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 register his maiden strike since last March.

Second Goal Confirms Dominance

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s second goal on the verge of the interval, as well, his unmarked header saved by Malmö’s shot-stopper Ellborg but Kalimuendo on hand to tap in the loose ball from close range. McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and just his second outing since September, was the spark, chipping a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was turned aside off Malmö back Colin Rösler, the son of former Man City forward Uwe Rösler, and an free Milenkovic also previously had a strong header smartly repelled by the keeper, who returned in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on November 9th, and they found it hard to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds made it 3-0 when the defender applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo headed back a set-piece. The captain had a shot stopped, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic feasted on the rebound.

The home side then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi dinking a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic effort wide from distance. It was that kind of nights. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, made seven changes from the side that stunned the Reds at their ground recently, when they additionally netted three times, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and further fresh legs during the final period.

Hiccup-Free Evening for Forest

It proved a flawless evening for Nottingham Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the game long since sewn up and subsequently introduced teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. He discussed the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop demonstrated they are able of a few nuggets of excitement, as well.