Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the safety of knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | P | Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
