Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting 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 Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
