Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
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Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Side | Played | Goal 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 win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
