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

League Position

The initial outcomes strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.

Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1

Aston Villa secured for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.

Late Goal: Monteiro Scores

Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!

Celtic Secure Victory

A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.

Game Developments

The Birmingham side, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.

Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.

Lineups: Forest vs Malmö

Forest: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.

Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.

Referee: The German referee (Germany)

Team News: Rangers v Braga

The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.

The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.

Referee: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)

Match Background

Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status 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 quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."

It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.

Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.

Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.

We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.