Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | GD | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"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. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.