Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, maintained 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 objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
