Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"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," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the initial phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
