Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Live Feed
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Team | P | GD | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European football in a short period."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.