Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Team | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side 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 precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
