Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Position | Side | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
