The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | Played | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
The English side clung on for the win and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
