Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Pos | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
