Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the safety of knockout positions.
| Position | Club | Played | GD | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
