Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Position | Side | Matches | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match 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 Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive 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 European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.