Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, 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 second goal there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
