Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides 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 continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
