Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
