Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Played | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, 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 triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
