Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | P | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner 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 revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
