Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The English side struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
