Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | P | Goal 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 three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club 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 initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
