Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Position | Side | Matches | GD | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing 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 the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach 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 the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action 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 group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
