Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | P | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, 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 the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
