Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
