Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
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Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Goal 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager 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 full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home 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 clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
