Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Team | Played | Difference | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status 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 celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
