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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” rang out through the ground as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated a further result against their Swedish opponents. Much has happened since Francis's winning header clinched the European Cup in the year 1979, but the club continue to cherish those glorious moments. Similarly, major shifts have taken place in the five weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with the team appearing reinvigorated and earning a convincing victory courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Gaining Momentum with Third Straight Victory

For Forest, this performance – against a Malmö side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their home competition – marked a third straight triumph across every tournament and further built on the momentum gained from the previous week's stunning victory at Liverpool. While this match was a reminder of the club's European Cup success in name, the game itself was devoid of any real tension or jitters.

It proved to be an occasion filled with sentiment, an longed-for meeting and the third clash between the sides since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

Forest leaned into the history, honoring the heroes of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the VIP welcome. 13 members of the Swedish club’s team from then were also present. Both teams shared a dinner together before the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and company received a tumultuous reception when they gathered on the pitch 15 minutes before kick-off, and a characteristically superb display was shown in the home stand.

Remembering the Past

“30th May 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left,” read half of a large tifo, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was revealed as the players came out from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it continued. Another stunning tifo depicted Brian Clough watching proceedings beside his assistant Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Outset

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

It seemed appropriate that Ryan Yates, who came to the club as an eight-year-old, made the first dent in the Malmö defense led by their own homegrown captain, Jansson, formerly of Leeds and Brentford FC. The Forest centre-back Milenkovic saw a delivery cannon off a opponent and into the path of Yates, who finished with his right foot from just inside the penalty area to score his maiden strike since March.

Another Goal Confirms Dominance

Yates was implicated in Forest’s second goal on the verge of the interval, as well, his unmarked header parried by the shot-stopper Melker Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to convert the rebound from point-blank range. James McAtee, the playmaker given a rare start and just his second appearance since September, was the catalyst, chipping a delicious ball towards Yates at the back post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was deflected aside off Malmö back Colin Rösler, son of ex- Manchester City forward Uwe Rösler, and an unmarked Milenkovic also previously had a strong header instinctively saved by the keeper, who returned in place of the former Villa goalie Olsen.

Opponent's Difficulties

This was Malmö’s first match since the domestic league concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to match the home team's intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when the defender applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo headed back a set-piece. The captain had a volley blocked, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

The home side then went for the jugular, with the winger dinking a effort on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was that kind of evenings. The manager, aware of the upcoming domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented seven changes from the team that stunned the Reds at their ground recently, when they additionally scored three times, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus during the second half.

Smooth Evening for the Team

It proved a hiccup-free night for Forest. The coach could take off Murillo with the game long since sewn up and subsequently introduced teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard providing “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, nearly fifty years on, the present squad demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of thrills, too.