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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed through the stadium as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated a further win against Malmö. Much has occurred since Trevor Francis’s decisive header clinched the European Cup in 1979, but Forest still cherish those memories. Equally, significant changes have occurred in the weeks since the manager took charge, with Forest looking refreshed and securing a convincing win courtesy of goals from Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the Europa League.

Gaining Steam with Third Consecutive Win

For Forest, this performance – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing in sixth place in their domestic league – marked a third straight win across every tournament and further built on the positive energy gained from the previous week's success at Liverpool. While this match was a re-run of the club's historic triumph in spirit, the game itself was free of any significant jeopardy or nerves.

It proved to be an occasion dripping in sentiment, an longed-for meeting and the third meeting between the sides since the showpiece event over four decades past.

Forest leaned into the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their visiting opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from then were also present. Both teams enjoyed a dinner together before the kick-off. Forest legends and company received a tumultuous reception when they gathered on the field a quarter of an hour before the start, and a characteristically superb tifo was unveiled in the home stand.

Recalling History

“30th May 1979, John Robertson crossed it in from the left,” read half of a giant banner, in capital letters. While nobody needed reminding of what ensued, the remaining section was unfurled as the players came out from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. A second brilliant tifo showed Clough observing proceedings beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Outset

So, the hosts had soaked up those beautiful recollections, but what about the showing on the night? It was pretty good, as well. They were in complete control from the moment the forward whistled an attempt off target inside two minutes and established a 2-0 advantage by the half-time interval. Nicolás Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, tried his luck.

It felt fitting that Yates, who joined Forest as an eight-year-old, made the initial breakthrough in the visitors' defense captained by their own homegrown skipper, Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The home centre-back Nikola Milenkovic saw a cross deflect off a opponent and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from the edge of the box to register his first goal since last March.

Second Strike Seals Dominance

The scorer was involved in the team's next goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header saved by the goalkeeper Ellborg but Kalimuendo poised to tap in the loose ball from point-blank range. James McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and just his second appearance since the autumn, was the spark, chipping a delicious ball towards his teammate at the far post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was turned aside off Malmö defender Colin Rösler, the son of ex- Man City forward Uwe, and an unmarked the defender had earlier had a strong header smartly saved by Ellborg, who returned in place of the ex- Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Malmö’s Struggles

This was Malmö’s first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on 9 November, and they struggled to equal Forest’s intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when the defender applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a set-piece. Yates had a shot blocked, but the Serbian defender Milenkovic pounced on the rebound.

The home side then went for the jugular, with the winger dinking a effort on to the bar before Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was one of those evenings. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton, made multiple alterations from the team that stunned Liverpool at their ground recently, when they also netted three goals, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus during the final period.

Hiccup-Free Evening for Forest

It proved a hiccup-free evening for Forest. Dyche could take off the defender with the game already sewn up and later brought on teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. He discussed the Forest old guard providing “bits of gold” at regular meetings and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop demonstrated they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, as well.