Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Club | P | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European stage in just three years."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
