Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Current Table
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Team | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have additional time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.