Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
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 Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
