Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
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Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Played | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory 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 calmly observing the mafficking," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
