Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that at the end.
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 get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest 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 last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
