Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Team | 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
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
