Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Team | Matches | GD | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtjylland | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Freiburg | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Ferencvaros | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | FC Porto | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | Celtic | 5 | -1 | 7 |
| 25 | Nottm Forest | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 | Rangers | 4 | -7 | 0 |
| 33 | Malmo FF | 4 | -5 | 1 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
