Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Team | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
