Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield 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 match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
