Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Side | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings 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 knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
