Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"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," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
