Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Team | P | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter 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 early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
