Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
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Important Updates
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | Matches | 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 moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa made hard work of that at the end.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage 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 roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.