Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early 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. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
