Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – 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 Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
