Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Club | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
