Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.