Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Club | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.