Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Club | Matches | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
