Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory 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 mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
