Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, 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 special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
