Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Played | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
