Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Club | Matches | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing 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 Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
