Nottingham Forest celebrated their 1979 European Cup triumph in impressive fashion, securing a 3-0 victory over Malmö in the Europa League.
Brian Clough’s men made history 46 years ago when Trevor Francis scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against the Swedish team in Munich.
Prior to kick-off, nostalgia filled the atmosphere as most surviving players from that historic match were honored on the City Ground pitch, accompanied by a two-minute film projection on the Brian Clough Stand.
Despite the lower stakes of a league phase match, Forest emerged victorious once more, with goals from Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo, and Nikola Milenkovic.
The current squad harbors ambitions of European success and maintained their aspirations of a top-eight finish in a competitive league standings after five matches.
This win continued the positive momentum under manager Sean Dyche, who has now led the team to three consecutive victories, contributing to a five-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and leaving a troublesome start to the season in the rearview mirror.
Dyche’s players capitalized on facing a Malmö side that was competing for the first time since November 9.
Callum Hudson-Odoi missed a chance early in the third minute by shooting wide, while Nicolás Domínguez also went off target with a close-range header.
The first goal arrived in the 28th minute, fittingly scored by a homegrown player. Milenkovic’s deflected cross landed perfectly for Yates, who calmly finished from 12 yards.
A chance to double the lead slipped away ten minutes later when Kalimuendo’s shot was saved by Melker Ellborg, with Milenkovic’s header from the resulting corner also going straight to the Malmö keeper.
The second goal came just before half-time, with Kalimuendo finally finding the net after tapping in a rebound from Yates’ header, which had been superbly kept out by Ellborg from a James McAtee cross.
Forest extended their lead to 3-0 shortly after the hour mark when Milenkovic scored following a Yates volley that fell into his path, surviving a lengthy VAR check for offside.
As the match progressed, Hudson-Odoi nearly added to the tally, hitting the crossbar as Forest sought more goals; however, three proved sufficient as they eased off, now focused on their upcoming match against Brighton on Sunday.