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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed through the City Ground as Nottingham Forest followers celebrated another win against Malmö. A great deal has transpired since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the continental trophy back in 1979, but Forest continue to hold dear those glorious moments. Similarly, major changes have taken place in the five weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with Forest looking reinvigorated and earning a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their hopes of progressing in the European competition.

Building Momentum with Third Consecutive Win

For Forest, this performance – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their domestic league – marked a third straight triumph across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from last weekend’s stunning victory at Anfield. While this fixture was a reminder of Forest’s historic triumph in spirit, the game itself was free of any significant jeopardy or nerves.

It proved to be an occasion dripping in nostalgia, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third meeting between the teams since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

The home side fully embraced the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of 1979 by providing 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 shared a meal together prior to the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and company received a tumultuous welcome when they assembled on the pitch 15 minutes before the start, and a typically impressive tifo was shown in the Trent End.

Recalling the Past

“May 30, 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” displayed half of a large tifo, in capital letters. While nobody needed reminding of what ensued, the rest was revealed as the players emerged from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. Another brilliant tifo depicted Clough observing proceedings beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a bench at the Munich stadium.

Control from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those wonderful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was pretty good, too. They were in full command from the moment the forward whistled an attempt off target inside two minutes and built a 2-0 advantage by the break. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Yates, who came to the club as an eight-year-old, made the first dent in the visitors' defence captained by their own homegrown skipper, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford. The home centre-back Milenkovic saw a cross cannon off a opponent and into the path of the midfielder, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the penalty area to register his maiden strike since March.

Another Strike Confirms Control

The scorer was implicated in the team's second goal on the verge of the interval, as well, his free header parried by Malmö’s goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but Kalimuendo on hand to convert the rebound from point-blank range. McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and only his second appearance since the autumn, was the catalyst, lofting a delicious ball towards Yates at the far post.

A minute earlier, Callum Hudson-Odoi low effort was turned aside off Malmö defender Rösler, son of former Man City forward Uwe, and an unmarked the defender had earlier had a strong header instinctively repelled by Ellborg, who was back in place of the former Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s initial game since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they found it hard to match the home team's energy. 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 shot blocked, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

Forest then went for the jugular, with the winger chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic effort off target from 30 yards. It was one of those nights. The manager, mindful of the upcoming domestic fixture here against Brighton, implemented seven changes from the side that stunned Liverpool at their ground last weekend, when they additionally scored three times, though he called on substitutes and Igor Jesus during the final period.

Smooth Night for Forest

It turned out to be a hiccup-free evening for Forest. The coach could withdraw the defender with the match already sewn up and later introduced 19-year-old defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the club legends supplying “bits of gold” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the current crop demonstrated they are able of a few nuggets of thrills, too.