Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Club | P | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides 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 the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier 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 advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings 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 playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.