Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Position | Team | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
