Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
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 English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
