Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team 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 last place of the competition table at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.