Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
