Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Position | 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
