Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | P | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," 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 just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
