Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
