Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Club | Played | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
