Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Side | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
