Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston 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
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Team | Matches | 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter 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 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 competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.