Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Played | Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
