Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
