Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | Played | GD | 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 moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club 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 had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
