Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status 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 quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool 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 home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
