Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Club | Played | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, 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 record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
