Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Team | Played | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.