Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Team | Matches | Goal 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
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but only have additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
