Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.