Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Pos | Club | P | GD | 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs 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 links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
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.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
