Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | Difference | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure 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 scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division 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 make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
