Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | Played | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
