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!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | Matches | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
