Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Club | P | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
