Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Pos | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
