Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Side | Matches | GD | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
