Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Team | Played | Goal 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, 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 connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. This represented an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
