Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Club | 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
