Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
