Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
