Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | Matches | GD | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
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 Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans engaging 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 throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status 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 quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.