Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Team | Played | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early 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 half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
