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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” rang out around the stadium as Nottingham Forest followers celebrated a further success against their Swedish opponents. Much has happened since Trevor Francis’s decisive header clinched the continental trophy back in 1979, but Forest continue to cherish those glorious moments. Equally, significant changes have taken place in the five weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with Forest appearing reinvigorated and earning a comfortable win courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the Europa League.

Building Momentum with Third Consecutive Victory

For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Swedish side that had been inactive for nearly a month after finishing in sixth place in their home competition – represented a third consecutive triumph across all competitions and further built on the positive energy generated from last weekend’s stunning victory at Anfield. While this fixture was a re-run of the club's historic success in name, the encounter itself was free of any real jeopardy or jitters.

It proved to be an event filled with nostalgia, an longed-for reunion and the third meeting between the teams since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

Forest leaned into the history, honoring the heroes of 1979 by giving them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the red-carpet treatment. 13 members of the Swedish club’s team from that time were also in attendance. Both teams shared a meal together before the kick-off. Forest legends and their teammates were given a rousing reception when they gathered on the pitch 15 minutes before the start, and a characteristically superb display was unveiled in the Trent End.

Remembering the Past

“May 30, 1979, Robertson crossed it in from the left flank,” read half of a giant banner, in block capitals. While nobody needed reminding of what ensued, the rest was revealed as the players came out from the tunnel. “And there’s Francis,” it continued. Another brilliant tifo depicted Clough observing proceedings beside his right-hand man Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, the hosts had drunk in those wonderful memories, but what about the performance on the night? It was impressive, too. They were in complete control from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an attempt off target inside two minutes and established a 2-0 advantage by the half-time interval. Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who joined Forest as an eight-year-old, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defense captained by their own academy product skipper, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford. The home defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a cross cannon off a defender and into the path of the midfielder, who finished right-footed from just inside the penalty area to score his first goal since March.

Second Goal Confirms Control

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s second goal on the brink of the interval, as well, his free header parried by Malmö’s shot-stopper Ellborg but the alert forward poised to tap in the loose ball from point-blank range. James McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and just his second outing since the autumn, was the spark, lofting a perfect ball towards his teammate at the far post.

Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was turned wide off the defender Rösler, son of ex- Manchester City forward Uwe Rösler, and an unmarked Milenkovic also earlier had a powerful header instinctively saved by Ellborg, who returned in place of the ex- Villa goalie Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on 9 November, and they found it hard to equal Forest’s energy. Forest extended the lead to three when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his defensive colleague Murillo kept alive a corner. The captain had a volley stopped, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic feasted on the leftovers.

The home side then went for the jugular, with Hudson-Odoi chipping 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 Liverpool at their ground last weekend, when they also netted three goals, though he introduced substitutes and Igor Jesus during the second half.

Smooth Night for the Team

It turned out to be a flawless night for Forest. Dyche could take off Murillo with the game long since sewn up and subsequently brought on teenage full-back Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the Forest old guard supplying “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the current crop demonstrated they are able of a few nuggets of excitement, too.