Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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 front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
