Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Club | 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month 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 Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
