Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa made hard work of that in the final stages.
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!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.
Updates will continue 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 Feyenoord v Celtic.