Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Played | GD | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, 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 rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, 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 Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
