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

League Position

The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure knockout positions.

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys

The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.

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 get the tying goal!

Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic

A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.

Match Updates

The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained 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 Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.

Starting XI Revealed

The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.

Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.

Referee: Harm Osmers (from Germany)

Lineups: Rangers vs Braga

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.

Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.

Referee: Lindhout (Holland)

Historical Context

Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.

"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," 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 reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.

The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.

Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.

Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.