Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Goal 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 moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
