Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | Played | Goal 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
