Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th place and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | Matches | Goal 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 went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final 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 calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
