Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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 victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. 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 concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.