Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | P | Goal 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
