Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Team | Matches | 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 win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
