Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Side | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory 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 Second Division to European football in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
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.
