Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Club | P | Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield 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.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
