Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
