Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent 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 opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
