Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
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Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained 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 away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.