Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position 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 win and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, 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 away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.