Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Team | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games 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 league rankings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
