Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been 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 consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom 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 hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
