Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Club | Played | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table 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 comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
