Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Team | Played | Goal Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
