Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
