Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Club | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. 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 Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
