Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
