Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Team | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
