Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Played | Goal Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high 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.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
