Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | P | GD | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery 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 Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
