Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | Played | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the police and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from 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 have been inactive since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
