Dyche’s revival – Memories of 1979 European final shine in Forest’s colours

On May 30, 1979, Nottingham Forest and Malmo met in the European Cup final. Today, nearly half a century later, they faced each other in the Conference League. Just like back then, the English team emerged victorious — this time with a 3–0 win. Forest has been performing increasingly well since the arrival of Sean Dyche.

Nottingham Forest controlled the tempo from the very start of their Europa League clash with Malmo, producing a lively and energetic first half filled with chances — and ultimately, two well-deserved goals.

Forest threatened immediately. Just two minutes in, Arnaud Kalimuendo broke down the left and fired from a tight angle, but his effort fizzed wide of the far post. Moments later, in the 7th minute, Nicolas Dominguez rose highest to meet a loose ball around 11 meters out, only to head it narrowly past the left upright — a miss that left him visibly frustrated.

Malmo responded quickly with their first attempt. In the 7th minute, Sead Haksabanovic unleashed a strike from 25 meters, but Forest keeper John Victor was equal to it. Two minutes later, in the 9th minute, Abbott tried his luck from distance for Forest, though his low drive lacked power and direction, ending comfortably in the goalkeeper’s gloves.

Forest’s pressure eventually paid off. In the 28th minute, a chaotic sequence led to the breakthrough. Nikola Milenkovic’s attempted pass ricocheted off a defender and dropped kindly for Ryan Yates, who struck from just outside the box. His low effort beat Melker Ellborg, giving Forest the 1–0 lead. The goal is HERE!

They nearly doubled it shortly before halftime. In the 39th minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi carved out a superb chance, cutting the ball back to Kalimuendo, whose fierce near-post strike was parried away by Ellborg. From the ensuing corner, in the 40th minute, Milenkovic again found himself unmarked, but his header lacked conviction and the Malmo keeper saved.

Forest finally made their dominance count in the 44th minute. A short-corner routine saw Yates force another excellent save from Ellborg, but this time Kalimuendo reacted quickest, tapping in the rebound for his long-awaited goal. The relief and joy were clear in his celebration. The goal is HERE!

The second half of Nottingham Forest’s clash with Malmo lacked the intensity of the first, with the match settling into a slow and methodical pace from the very start. The tempo never really picked up, and after the third goal, the game became even more subdued.

In the 59th minute, Forest extended their lead following a corner and some chaos inside the Malmo box. The ball fell kindly to Nikola Milenkovic, the former Fiorentina centre-back, who made no mistake in slotting it past Melker Ellborg to make it 3–0. The goal is HERE!

Three minutes later, Forest came close to adding another. Callum Hudson-Odoi unleashed a brilliant effort, aiming for the net, but his strike cannoned off the crossbar, denying him a goal.

After these moments, the match continued at a noticeably slower pace, with few clear-cut chances and little excitement for the remainder of the second half. Forest’s dominance was clear, but the game settled into a comfortable, controlled rhythm for the home side.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

Matchday 5

Thursday

Aston Villa - Young Boys 2-1 (2-0)

/Malen 27, 42 - Monteiro 90/

Fenerbahce - Ferencvaros 1-1 (0-0)

/Talisca 69 - Varga 66/

Feyenoord - Celtic 1-3 (1-2)

/Ueda 11 - Hyun-Jun 31, Hatate 43, Nygren 82

Lille - Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 (2-0)

/Correia 21, Mukau 36, Igamane 69, Andre 86/

Ludogorets - Celta 3-2 (1-0)

/Stanic 11 pen, 49, 62 pen - Duran 70, El-Abdellaoui 90+6/

PAOK - Brann 1-1 (0-0)

/Ivanusec 64 - Kornvig 89/

Plzen - Freiburg 0-0

Porto - Nice 3-0 (2-0)

/Veiga 1, 33, Aghehowa 61 pen/

Roma - Midtjylland 2-1 (1-0)

/El Aynaoui 7, El Shaarawy 83 - Paulinho 86/

Betis - Utrecht 2-1 (1-0)

/Hernandez 42, Ezzalzouli 50 - Rodriguez 55/

Bologna - Salzburg 4-1 (1-1)

/Odgaard 26, Dallinga 51, Bernardeschi 53, Orsolini 86 - Vertessen 33/

Crvena Zvezda - FCSB 1-0 (0-0)

/Duarte 50/

Genk - Basel 2-1 (2-0)

/Hyun-gyu Oh 14, Karetsas 45+2 - Otele 57/

Go Ahead Eagles - Stuttgart 0-4 (0-2)

/Leweling 20, 35, El Khannouss 59, Bouanani 90+3/

Maccabi T.A. - Lyon 0-6 (0-3)

/Vinicius 4, Tolisso 25, 51, 53, Niakhate 35 pen, Karabec 62/

Nott. Forest - Malmo 3-0 (2-0)

/Yates 28, Kalimuendo 44, Milenkovic 58/

Panathinaikos - Sturm 2-1 (1-1)

/Swiderski 18, Calabria 74 - Kiteishvili 34/

Rangers - Braga 1-1 (1-0)

/Tavernier 45+3 pen - Martinez 69/