Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Position | Team | Played | GD | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
