Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Live Feed
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa struggled 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!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home 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.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
