Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Side | P | GD | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
