Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
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Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Club | P | Goal 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 three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. 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 hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
