Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Club | P | GD | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
