Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
