Stuttgart Turn Celtic Park Into A 4-1 Victory As El Khannouss Nets Twice In Europa League Playoff

Add as a preferred source on Google

Stuttgart took a huge step towards the Europa League last 16 with a 4-1 victory over Celtic, punishing two major errors from Kasper Schmeichel in Glasgow. The scoreline leaves Martin O'Neill's team needing a major turnaround in Germany, after a group stage campaign that already went to the wire.

Celtic only advanced from the league phase thanks to a 4-2 win against Utrecht on matchday eight, and this play-off first leg showed the fine margins again. Stuttgart now hold a three-goal advantage ahead of the return fixture, after scoring four times from limited clear chances.

The visitors' attacking quality stood out in several statistical markers. Bilal El Khannouss, aged 21 years and 285 days, became the youngest Stuttgart player with a multi-goal haul in a European match since Mario Gomez scored twice against Rapid Bucuresti in the 2005 UEFA Cup at 20 years and 157 days.

Deniz Undav also extended a strong all-competitions campaign. Undav is now one of only six players from Europe's top five leagues to reach at least 10 goals and 10 assists this season, moving to 16 goals and 11 assists. The others are Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford.

Jamie Leweling added another long-range strike, continuing a specific Bundesliga trend. Leweling now has four goals from outside the box in all competitions this season, the most by any player in the German top flight. Schmeichel should have stopped this effort, which dipped but went straight through the goalkeeper's hands.

Expected goals figures underlined both Stuttgart's sharp finishing and Celtic's problems at key moments. Stuttgart scored four times from 2.08 xG, helped by Schmeichel's errors. Celtic finished with 1.79 xG yet produced only one goal, with Julian Araujo missing a big late chance from close range when stretching at the back post.

The tie began badly for Celtic, whose nerves were clear despite strong backing at Celtic Park. A poor Schmeichel clearance in the 15th minute handed Stuttgart possession in a dangerous area. Undav reacted with an improvised backheel volleyed pass, finding El Khannouss, who finished low with a left-footed strike.

Celtic briefly responded, helped by a mistake from Stuttgart. Six minutes after the opener, Atakan Karazor attempted a blind pass while facing Alexander Nubel's goal. The ball deflected to Benjamin Nygren, who showed composure to round Nubel and roll in the equaliser, giving O'Neill hope from the touchline.

Stuttgart quickly regained control before half-time. In the 28th minute, a deflected cross arrived at the near post, where El Khannouss reacted first and glanced a header past Schmeichel. That goal restored the Bundesliga side's lead and quietened the home crowd after Celtic's brief spell of pressure.

The second half increased the pressure on Schmeichel and Celtic further. Twelve minutes after the restart, Leweling tried his luck from distance, sending a dipping shot towards goal. Schmeichel got hands to the effort but failed to hold it, and the ball bounced through the grip and over the line, prompting loud boos from home supporters.

Stuttgart thought they had extended the advantage even further when Ermedin Demirovic finished another move, but an offside decision ruled that strike out. Celtic did have a late opportunity through Araujo, who slid in at the far post yet somehow diverted the ball wide, summing up a frustrating night in attack.

Substitute Tiago Tomas finally delivered Stuttgart's fourth goal during stoppage time, ensuring the scoreline reflected their control. Tomas cleverly flicked the ball over Schmeichel from close range. For O'Neill, who once oversaw a 5-4 aggregate win over Stuttgart on Celtic's 2002-03 UEFA Cup run, this occasion brought a starkly different European outcome.