Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Rank | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, 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 rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.