Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
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 Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
