Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Club | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory 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 calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest 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 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
