Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Team | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
