Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Played | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
