Celtic have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League as Stuttgart ran out comfortable 4-1 winners in the first leg of the last 16 playoffs at Parkhead.
After a four-minute delay due to tennis balls being thrown on the pitch in protest at the board, the scoring was opened by Bilal El Khannouss after he capitalised on a poor clearance from Kasper Schmeichel to fire the visitors into the lead after just 15 minutes.
Benjamin Nygren restored parity just six minutes later, as he pounced on a mix up in the Stuttgart defence to round the Alexander Nubel and slide home. The away side were soon back in the ascendancy with the excellent El Khannouss heading home his second of the game from close range on 28 minutes.
Jamie Leweling’s long-range drive on 58 minutes secured a third for the Bundesliga outfit before substitute Tiago Tomas added a deserved fourth in stoppage time.
Just the second defeat of Martin O’Neill’s reign as manager this season, Celtic will look to somehow overturn the deficit when the sides meet for the second leg at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart next Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. UK time.
Here’s how The Scotsman rated the performance of each player as Celtic lose 4-1 to Stuttgart at Parkhead.
9. Sebastian Tounekti - 5
Beaten too easily in the lead up to the opening goal. Offered plenty of running but his final ball was lacking. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
10. Daizen Maeda - 3
Flattered to deceive once again. The Japanese forward was unplayable last season, but looks a shadow of his former self. Taken off on the hour mark - anonymous. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
11. Tomas Cvancara - 6
Enjoyed his battle with Jeff Chabot and tried his best to bring others into the game, and soldiered throughout but was feeding off scraps. Unlucky with a shot that was blocked after he peeled off his man well. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
12. Celtic subs:
Reo Hatate - 5 (little impact on the game outside of a blocked shot) Yang Hyun-Jun - 4 (barely involved) Kelechi Iheacnacho - N/A (late sub) Luke McCowan - N/A (late sub) Marcelo Sarachhi - N/A (went close with a long-range drive, but wasn't on long enough) | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group