Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Team | P | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly 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 Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
