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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed through the City Ground as Forest followers reveled in another success against Malmö. Much has happened since Francis's decisive header secured the European Cup back in 1979, but Forest still hold dear those glorious moments. Equally, significant changes have occurred in the weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with the team appearing refreshed and earning a comfortable victory thanks to goals from Kalimuendo, Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their hopes of progressing in the European competition.

Gaining Steam with Third Consecutive Win

For Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing in sixth place in their home competition – marked a third straight win across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from last weekend’s success at Anfield. While this match was a re-run of Forest’s European Cup triumph in name, the encounter itself was free of any significant tension or nerves.

This was an occasion dripping in sentiment, an longed-for meeting and the third competitive meeting 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 team from then were also present. Both teams shared a dinner together before the kick-off. Forest legends and their teammates were given a tumultuous welcome when they gathered on the field 15 minutes before kick-off, and a characteristically impressive tifo was shown in the Trent End.

Remembering the Past

“30th May 1979, Robertson delivered the ball from the left flank,” displayed half of a giant banner, in block capitals. While nobody needed reminding of what happened next, the rest was revealed as the squads came out from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another stunning tifo depicted Clough watching events beside his right-hand man Taylor on a dugout 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 strong, as well. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo fired an attempt wide inside the opening moments and built a 2-0 advantage by the half-time interval. 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 joined the club as an eight-year-old, made the initial breakthrough in the Malmö defense captained by their own homegrown captain, Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford. The Forest centre-back Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a opponent and into the pathway of the midfielder, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the penalty area to score his maiden strike since last March.

Second Goal Confirms Dominance

The scorer was involved in Forest’s next goal on the verge of half-time, too, his free header parried by the goalkeeper Melker Ellborg but Kalimuendo poised to tap in the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a rare start and just his second appearance since the autumn, was the spark, lofting a perfect ball towards his teammate at the back post.

Just moments before, Callum Hudson-Odoi low effort was deflected aside off the defender Rösler, the son of former Man City forward Uwe, and an unmarked the defender also previously had a strong header smartly saved by the keeper, who returned in place of the former Aston Villa goalie Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s initial game 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 set-piece. The captain had a shot blocked, but the Serbian defender Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

Forest then pushed for more, with the winger dinking a right-foot shot on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was one of those evenings. The manager, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton, made seven changes from the side that stunned the Reds at their ground last weekend, when they additionally scored three goals, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus midway through the final period.

Hiccup-Free Night for the Team

It proved a hiccup-free evening for Forest. Dyche could withdraw the defender with the match already boxed off and later introduced 19-year-old full-back Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche discussed the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, as well.