Celtic fans turn on player who epitomises team struggles as Europa League hopes left in tatters

This Europa League play-off tie is on life-support. They head to Germany next week for the second leg trailing 4-1. They are fortunate the deficit is three goals.

Seconds into the game, some Celtic fans chucked multi-coloured tennis-style balls on to the pitch in protest against the board. Their ire then turned towards their poor goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who had a night to forget and was jeered by a section of the fanbase.

Schmeichel epitomises the struggles of Celtic. A once excellent goalkeeper who at the age of 39 is showing uncomfortable signs of decline. He was at fault for two of Stuttgart's goals, offering weak resistance to shots that one would expect him to do better with.

Those moments came a few days after the Denmark internationalist was susceptible for a goal at Kilmarnock. These are not isolated affairs. Celtic fans have been grumbling about their keeper for some weeks. Manager Martin O'Neill has a big decision on his hands as to whether to stick with Schmeichel - one of the leaders in the dressing room - or go with his deputy Viljami Sinisalo.

Schmeichel was not helped, as has been the case all season, by a jittery defence in front of him. The result and the performance were not fitting ways to celebrate interim boss O'Neill's 1000th game in management. The 73-year-old watched on sternly from his dugout as Stuttgart reduced his team to ribbons.

A year ago, Celtic were facing another Bundesliga side but in far more exalted surroundings. That Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, where they ran the German giants close, must feel like a world away for their supporters.

Stuttgart drew first blood on 15 minutes. Schmeichel's sand-wedge clearance wasn't strong enough and Sebastian Tounekti lost the aerial duel to Dennis Undav. The ball fell to Leicester City loanee Bilal El Khannouss and he skirted across the Celtic defence and fired a low effort past a meek dive from Schmeichel to his left.

Stuttgart returned the favour five minutes later when midfielder Atakan Karazor blindly hit the ball back towards his own goal. Benjamin Nygren nipped in, rounded a stranded Stuttgart keeper Alex Nubel and the scores were level.

It was to Stuttgart's credit that they were barely rocked by such a mistake. They were back in front on 29 minutes. Angelo Stiller's cross deflected off Tounekti and El Khannouss was left all alone deep in the penalty box to head past Schmeichel.

Celtic played with little more zip at the start of the second period. A surging run from right-back by Julian Araujo sparked his teammates into life. Tomas Cvancara was causing consternation with his physicality. But there was a lack of quality where it really mattered.

Stuttgart had the clinical edge. They added a third on 57 minutes. The ball was worked out to Jamie Lewelling and he belted a strike past Schmeichel, who was slow to get down the ball. The next time he touched the ball, an element of the fanbase booed him. The Dane's confidence is clearly low and that moment did not help.

Two minutes later, Emir Demirovic was sent through and he clipped the ball home. The offside flag spared Celtic - although some fans had already decided another half-hour of this was too much to bear.

Nubel then showed Schmeichel how it should be done with a sprawling stop to deny Nygren but Celtic looked just as likely to concede again as score.

The tin lid was put on the tie in stoppage time as Stuttgart substitute Tiago Tomas drove in a clipped home. "Always look on the bright side of life," sang the away support. "Sack the board," retorted the few home fans that remained.