Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Side | Matches | Goal Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, 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 the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
