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“Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” echoed around the City Ground as Forest supporters reveled in a further result against Malmö. Much has occurred since Francis's decisive header secured the continental trophy in 1979, but Forest still cherish those memories. Equally, significant shifts have occurred in the weeks since the manager took charge, with Forest looking reinvigorated and securing a convincing win thanks to goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the European competition.

Gaining Steam with Third Consecutive Win

For Forest, this performance – against a Swedish side that had not played for nearly a month after ending sixth in their home competition – represented a third consecutive win across all competitions and further built on the positive energy gained from the previous week's stunning victory at Liverpool. While this match was a re-run of the club's European Cup triumph 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 meeting and the third competitive clash between the sides since the showpiece event over four decades past.

The home side fully embraced the heritage, honoring the legends of that era by giving them, along with their Malmö opponents, the VIP welcome. Thirteen members of the Swedish club’s squad from then were additionally in attendance. The two clubs enjoyed a meal together before the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and their teammates were given a rousing reception when they gathered on the field 15 minutes before kick-off, and a typically superb tifo was shown in the home stand.

Remembering the Past

“30th May 1979, John Robertson crossed it in from the left,” displayed half of a giant banner, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what ensued, the remaining section was revealed as the players came out from the dressing rooms. “And there’s Francis,” it stated. Another brilliant display showed Clough observing events beside his assistant Peter Taylor on a bench at the Olympiastadion.

Control from the Start

So, Forest had soaked up those beautiful recollections, but what about the performance on the evening? It was strong, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an attempt wide inside the opening moments and established a two-goal advantage by the half-time interval. Nicolás 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 first dent in the Malmö defence led by their own homegrown captain, Pontus Jansson, previously of Leeds and Brentford. The home defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a defender and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home right-footed from just inside the box to register his first goal since last March.

Another Strike Seals Dominance

Yates was implicated in the team's next goal on the brink of the interval, too, his unmarked header saved by the goalkeeper Ellborg but the alert forward poised to tap in the loose ball from close range. McAtee, the midfielder given a seldom start and only his second outing since the autumn, was the catalyst, chipping a perfect ball towards his teammate at the far post.

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

Opponent's Struggles

This was the Swedish side's first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan ended on 9 November, and they struggled to equal the home team's intensity. The Reds extended the lead to three when the defender scored after his defensive colleague Murillo headed back a set-piece. Yates had a volley blocked, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic pounced on the leftovers.

The home side then pushed for more, with the winger chipping a right-foot shot on to the crossbar before Sangaré sent an ambitious effort off target from distance. It was one of those evenings. Dyche, aware of the upcoming domestic fixture here against Brighton, made multiple alterations from the side that stunned Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, when they also netted three times, though he called on substitutes and Igor Jesus during the second half.

Hiccup-Free Evening for the Team

It turned out to be a hiccup-free night for Forest. Dyche could withdraw Murillo with the game already boxed off and subsequently brought on 19-year-old defender Jimmy Sinclair for his first-team debut. He talked about the club legends supplying “bits of gold” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the present squad showed they are capable of a few nuggets of excitement, too.