Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Position | Side | Played | 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 win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
