Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Played | GD | 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 peak of the league phase standings. 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 had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on 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 distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
