Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | Matches | Goal Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
