Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
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, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from 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 haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
