Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | P | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive 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 live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
