Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- 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: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto 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 visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.