Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, 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 sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.