Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Position | Side | P | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.