Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Team | Matches | Goal Difference | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
