Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Club | P | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup 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 clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting 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 conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
