Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – 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 Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
