Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with 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 fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
