Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: 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: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with leaders 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 hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European football in a short period."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
