Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Position | Club | Played | 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
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club 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 Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
