Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | Played | 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 three points and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
