Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Team | P | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. 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 score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball 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 beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
