Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | Matches | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent 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 opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
