Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | GD | 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 victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only 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 festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home 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 English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place 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 opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
