Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | Played | GD | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
