Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | Played | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
