Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga 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 desperately need 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 concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.