Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | GD | 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
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. 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 conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
