Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Side | P | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side 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 no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
