Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Club | P | Goal 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 win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
One should note 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 very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.