Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | P | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory 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. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
