🔗 Share this article

“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed around the stadium as Nottingham Forest fans celebrated a further win against their Swedish opponents. Much has occurred since Trevor Francis’s winning header clinched the continental trophy in 1979, but the club still hold dear those glorious moments. Similarly, major shifts have occurred in the weeks since the manager took charge, with the team looking reinvigorated and securing a convincing win courtesy of goals from Kalimuendo, Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Building Momentum with Another Consecutive Victory

For Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had been inactive for almost three weeks after finishing sixth in their home competition – marked a third straight win across every tournament and further built on the positive energy generated from the previous week's stunning victory at Anfield. While this match was a re-run of Forest’s European Cup triumph in name, the game itself was devoid of any significant tension or nerves.

It proved to be an occasion filled with sentiment, an longed-for meeting and the third clash between the teams since the showpiece event over four decades past.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, honoring the heroes of 1979 by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the red-carpet treatment. 13 members of the Malmö's team from that time were also in attendance. The two clubs shared a dinner together before the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and company received a rousing reception when they assembled on the pitch 15 minutes before kick-off, and a characteristically impressive display was unveiled in the home stand.

Remembering the Past

“May 30, 1979, John Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed one part of a large tifo, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the remaining section was unfurled as the players came out from the dressing rooms. “There is Francis,” it stated. Another stunning display showed Brian Clough observing events beside his right-hand man Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Outset

So, Forest had drunk in those beautiful recollections, but what about the performance on the evening? It was pretty good, as well. They were in complete control from the moment the forward fired an attempt off target inside two minutes and established a two-goal advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header off target and then Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Yates, who came to Forest as an eight-year-old, made the first dent in the Malmö defence led by their own homegrown skipper, Jansson, previously of Leeds and Brentford. The home defender Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home right-footed from the edge of the box to register his maiden strike since March.

Another Goal Seals Dominance

Yates was implicated in the team's next goal on the brink of half-time, too, his free header parried by the shot-stopper Melker Ellborg but Kalimuendo on hand to convert the rebound from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder handed a rare start and just his second outing since September, was the spark, chipping a delicious ball towards Yates at the back post.

A minute earlier, Hudson-Odoi’s low effort was deflected aside off the defender Colin Rösler, son of former Manchester City striker Uwe, and an unmarked the defender also previously had a powerful header smartly saved by the keeper, who was back in place of the ex- Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Opponent's Struggles

This was the Swedish side's initial game since the domestic league concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to equal Forest’s intensity. The Reds made it 3-0 when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a corner. Yates had a volley stopped, but the Serbian defender Milenkovic pounced on the rebound.

The home side then pushed for more, with the winger chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Sangaré sent an optimistic shot off target from distance. It was that kind of nights. Dyche, mindful of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton & Hove Albion, implemented seven changes from the side that stunned Liverpool at their ground last weekend, when they also scored three times, though he called on Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus midway through the final period.

Smooth Evening for the Team

It proved a flawless evening for Forest. The coach could withdraw the defender with the match long since sewn up and subsequently introduced teenage defender Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. Dyche talked about the club legends supplying “valuable insights” at weekly get-togethers and, almost five decades on, the current crop showed they are able of a few nuggets of thrills, as well.