Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Played | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
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 had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
