Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | P | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 three points and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
