Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
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Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, 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 scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
