Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | P | 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 moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. 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 premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side 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 last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
