Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
