Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
