Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Matches | Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team 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 rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
