Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
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Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | GD | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.