Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa 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 find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, 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 pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
