Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
