Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status 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 serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
