Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and toward the field, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
