Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Matches | GD | 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 |
Match Result: 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 top of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool 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 general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
