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“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed around the ground as Forest supporters reveled in another result against their Swedish opponents. A great deal has happened since Trevor Francis’s decisive header secured the European Cup in 1979, but the club still treasure those memories. Similarly, major shifts have taken place in the weeks since Sean Dyche assumed control, with Forest appearing refreshed and securing a convincing victory courtesy of goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Nikola Milenkovic, enhancing their prospects of advancing in the European competition.

Building Steam with Third Straight Win

For Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had not played for almost three weeks after finishing in sixth place in their domestic league – represented a third consecutive win across every tournament and added to the momentum generated from last weekend’s success at Liverpool. While this fixture was a re-run of the club's historic success in name, the game itself was free of any significant jeopardy or jitters.

It proved to be an occasion dripping in nostalgia, an longed-for reunion and the third clash between the teams since the European Cup final 46 years ago.

Forest fully embraced the heritage, paying tribute to the heroes of that era by giving them, along with their visiting counterparts, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s team from that time were additionally in attendance. Both teams enjoyed a meal together prior to the match. Forest legends and company received a tumultuous welcome when they gathered on the field a quarter of an hour before the start, and a characteristically impressive tifo was unveiled in the Trent End.

Recalling the Past

“30th May 1979, John Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed one part of a giant banner, in capital letters. While nobody required a reminder of what ensued, the rest was unfurled as the players emerged from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. A second brilliant tifo depicted Clough watching events beside his right-hand man Peter Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Dominance from the Start

So, Forest had drunk in those beautiful memories, but what about the showing on the evening? It was strong, too. They were in complete control from the moment the forward fired an effort off target inside the opening moments and built a two-goal lead by the half-time interval. Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Zach Abbott, on his first European start, tried his luck.

It seemed appropriate that Ryan Yates, who joined the club aged eight, made the first dent in the visitors' defence captained by their own homegrown skipper, Jansson, previously of Leeds United and Brentford. The home defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the pathway of the midfielder, who finished with his right foot from the edge of the penalty area to score his first goal since March.

Second Strike Seals Control

The scorer was implicated in Forest’s second goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header saved by the shot-stopper Ellborg but the alert forward on hand to tap in the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the midfielder handed a rare start and only his second appearance since the autumn, was the spark, lofting a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.

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

Malmö’s Difficulties

This was the Swedish side's first match since the domestic league ended on November 9th, and they found it hard to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when Milenkovic scored after his centre-back partner Murillo headed back a corner. The captain had a shot stopped, but the Serbia centre-back Milenkovic pounced on the rebound.

The home side then pushed for more, with Hudson-Odoi chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an optimistic effort wide from distance. It was that kind of nights. The manager, aware of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton, implemented multiple alterations from the team that surprised Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, when they also scored three goals, though he introduced Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus midway through the final period.

Smooth Night for the Team

It proved a flawless evening for Nottingham Forest. The coach could take off the defender with the match already sewn up and subsequently brought on 19-year-old defender Sinclair for his first-team debut. Dyche discussed the Forest old guard supplying “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, nearly fifty years on, the current crop demonstrated they are capable of producing of excitement, too.