Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Club | P | Difference | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly 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 home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
