“You’ll never sing that, champions of Europe,” echoed around the City Ground as Forest supporters celebrated another success against their Swedish opponents. Much has transpired since Trevor Francis’s winning header secured the European Cup back in 1979, but the club still treasure those glorious moments. Similarly, significant changes have taken place in the five weeks since Sean Dyche took charge, with Forest appearing reinvigorated and earning a convincing win courtesy of goals from Kalimuendo, Ryan Yates, and Milenkovic, boosting their prospects of progressing in the Europa League.
For Nottingham Forest, this result – against a Malmö side that had not played for almost three weeks after ending in sixth place in their home competition – represented a third consecutive triumph across all competitions and added to the momentum generated from the previous week's stunning victory at Anfield. While this match was a reminder of the club's European Cup triumph in spirit, the game itself was free of any real tension or nerves.
This was an occasion filled with sentiment, an eagerly awaited reunion and the third competitive meeting between the teams since the showpiece event 46 years ago.
The home side leaned into the heritage, paying tribute to the legends of that era by providing them, along with their Malmö counterparts, the red-carpet treatment. 13 members of the Swedish club’s squad from then were also in attendance. The two clubs enjoyed a meal together before the match. Frank Clark, Colin Barrett and company received a tumultuous welcome when they gathered on the pitch a quarter of an hour before kick-off, and a typically superb tifo was unveiled in the home stand.
“30th May 1979, John Robertson delivered the ball from the left flank,” read half of a large tifo, in block capitals. While no one required a reminder of what happened next, the rest was revealed as the squads came out from the tunnel. “There is Francis,” it continued. A second brilliant display showed Clough observing events beside his assistant Taylor on a dugout at the Olympiastadion.
So, the hosts had soaked up those beautiful recollections, but what about the performance on the evening? It was impressive, too. They were in full command from the moment Kalimuendo whistled an effort off target inside the opening moments and established a 2-0 advantage by the break. Domínguez sent an early header wide and then Abbott, on his maiden European start, tried his luck.
It seemed appropriate that Yates, who joined Forest aged eight, made the initial breakthrough in the Malmö defense captained by their own homegrown captain, Pontus Jansson, formerly of Leeds United and Brentford FC. The home centre-back Milenkovic saw a delivery deflect off a opponent and into the pathway of Yates, who swept home with his right foot from just inside the box to register his first goal since last March.
The scorer was involved in the team's next goal on the verge of half-time, as well, his unmarked header parried by Malmö’s shot-stopper Melker Ellborg but Kalimuendo on hand to tap in the loose ball from close range. James McAtee, the playmaker handed a seldom start and only his second appearance since September, was the catalyst, lofting a perfect ball towards Yates at the back post.
Just moments before, Hudson-Odoi’s driven shot was turned wide off the back Rösler, son of former Man City striker Uwe, and an free the defender also earlier had a powerful header smartly saved by Ellborg, who returned in place of the former Aston Villa goalkeeper Olsen.
This was Malmö’s first match since the Swedish Allsvenskan concluded on November 9th, and they found it hard to match the home team's energy. The Reds made it 3-0 when Milenkovic applied the finishing touch after his centre-back partner Murillo kept alive a corner. The captain had a volley stopped, but the Serbia defender Milenkovic pounced on the rebound.
Forest then went for the jugular, with the winger dinking a right-foot shot on to the bar before Ibrahim Sangaré sent an ambitious shot off target from 30 yards. It was one of those nights. The manager, aware of Sunday’s domestic fixture here against Brighton, implemented seven changes from the team that surprised Liverpool at their ground recently, when they also scored three times, though he introduced substitutes and Igor Jesus during the second half.
It turned out to be a flawless night for Nottingham Forest. Dyche could withdraw the defender with the match already sewn up and later introduced teenage full-back Jimmy Sinclair for his senior bow. He talked about the club legends providing “valuable insights” at regular meetings and, almost five decades on, the present squad showed they are able of producing of thrills, too.
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