Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Position | Club | Matches | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained 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. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match 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 beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home 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 home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
