Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of knockout positions.
| Position | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, 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 visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European football in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
