Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle 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 knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
