Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | 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
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
