Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | P | 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 |
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. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
