Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – 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
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Team | 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 |
Match Result: 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. Villa struggled of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
