Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
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Key Events
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Position | Team | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob 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 full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
