Celtic suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart at Parkhead, leaving them on the brink of a Europa League exit. The hosts took an early lead through Bilal El Khannous, who capitalized on a poor clearance from Kasper Schmeichel to fire the ball past the Denmark international goalkeeper. Celtic responded with a goal from Benjamin Nygren, who scored his 18th goal of the season.
However, El Khannous scored his second, and Stuttgart’s third goal came from Jamie Leweling, who rifled the ball past a struggling Schmeichel. The goalkeeper was jeered by sections of the crowd, and his night got worse as Stuttgart added a fourth goal through Tiago Tomas in stoppage time.
The match was also marred by a protest from Celtic fans, who threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at the club’s management. The game was stopped for three minutes as a result, with players and stewards clearing the balls from the pitch.
International media reaction was mixed, with Suddeutsche Zeitung praising Stuttgart’s performance and criticizing Celtic’s lack of momentum. L’Equipe noted that Stuttgart had a “comfortable” win, highlighting the German side’s control of the game. Bild criticized Schmeichel’s errors, while Marca described the match as a “rout” for Celtic. Bold also criticized Schmeichel’s performance, saying he was “well positioned” but unable to reach the ball.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill’s 1,000th game in charge ended in disappointment, and the team now faces a tough task to overturn the deficit in Germany next week. O’Neill had praised Schmeichel’s experience and past performances earlier in the week, but the goalkeeper’s struggles will be a major concern for the Celtic boss.
The result leaves Celtic’s European campaign in jeopardy, and the team will need to regroup quickly to address their domestic battles. The Hoops face Hibernian this weekend, and O’Neill will be hoping to put the Stuttgart defeat behind them and refocus on their Scottish Premiership campaign.