Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Team | Played | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in a short period."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, 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 Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
