Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | 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 table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
