Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | P | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side 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 additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
