Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Team | P | 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
