Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Side | P | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
