Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Club | P | Goal 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
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. 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 entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
