Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Club | Matches | 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 front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match 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 haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches 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 middle of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
