Nottingham Forest delivered a commanding 3-0 victory over Malmo in their Europa League match at the City Ground on Thursday evening. The win boosts their qualification hopes following a recent 3-0 triumph against Liverpool. Goals from Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo, and Strahinja Milenkovic sealed the result.
Nottingham Forest strengthened their position in the Europa League league phase with a dominant performance against Malmo. The hosts, sitting 23rd in the standings, faced a Malmo side in 33rd place with just one point prior to the match. Forest entered the game on the back of a 3-0 Premier League win at Anfield against Liverpool, aiming to build momentum in Europe.
Key Moments
Forest controlled the game from the outset, dominating possession and territory. The first goal came in the 27th minute when a deflected cross from Strahinja Milenkovic fell to Ryan Yates, who finished low into the corner. Moments before halftime, Arnaud Kalimuendo scored his first goal for Forest, reacting quickest to sweep home the rebound after goalkeeper Johan Ellborg parried a Yates header from James McAtee's corner.
In the second half, Forest extended their lead on 58 minutes. Another corner led to Yates' volley being diverted to Milenkovic, who finished from close range. A VAR review confirmed the goal, putting the hosts firmly in control.
Malmo struggled offensively, managing only one shot in the first half from Dejan Haksabanovic, which was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Matz Sels (referred to as Victor in the report, likely a placeholder). Their passing accuracy in Forest's half was just over 11% by the 80th minute, with only two entries into the final third and no further attempts.
Substitutions and Incidents
Sean Dyche rotated his squad, introducing Ibrahim Sangare, Anthony Elanga (wait, no: Anderson, Jesus, Ndoye, and Sinclair), with Sinclair receiving a late booking. Malmo's Lasse Berg Johnsen limped off early in the second half. Late substitutions included Oliver Lewicki for Pontus Skogmar and Anders Christiansen for Haksabanovic. Cautions were issued to Joe Abbott, Yates, and Anderson for Forest.
Post-match, Dyche praised his team's mentality: “It’s certainly looking up... keeping that consistency in our performances.” He highlighted the importance of the Europa League for the club and fans, noting strength in depth amid injuries to players like Ola Aina, Douglas Luiz, and Chris Wood.
Forest remain unbeaten at home under Dyche, while Malmo have now lost their last two European away matches heavily.
