Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League News

Latest Standings

These early results strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the safety of knockout positions.

Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys

Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.

GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)

The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!

Glasgow Side Wins 3-1

A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.

Match Updates

The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.

Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.

Starting XI Revealed

Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.

Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.

Match official: The German referee (German)

Lineups: Rangers vs Braga

The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, The striker.

Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.

Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)

Historical Context

The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.

"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."

Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.

This match is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.

Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by 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 urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.

Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.