Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Position | Club | 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 became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.