Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Latest Standings
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. 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 smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
