Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Team | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty 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 had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
