Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Side | Played | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, 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 opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
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 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
