Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Side | Matches | 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
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon 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 very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting 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 kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
