Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Club | P | GD | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground 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 home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
