Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball 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 clockwatch. The Scottish side 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 initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
