Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | 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 became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been 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 reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with exactly zero. 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 late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
