Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston 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: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Team | P | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
The European clash and past encounters. 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 continental championship 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
