Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
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Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement 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 first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
