VfB Stuttgart lost 0-1 to Celtic Glasgow in the Europa League round of 32 second leg but qualified for the round of 16 thanks to their 4-1 first-leg win. An early goal and two disallowed strikes marked the match in Stuttgart.
VfB Stuttgart suffered their first home defeat of the European cup season in the second leg against Celtic Glasgow but did not exit the competition. Just 30 seconds after kickoff, Luke McCowan scored for the visitors to make it 0-1, following a misplaced pass by Chema Andrés, a slip by Luca Jaquez, and Finn Jeltsch failing to intervene. Without the suspended Jeff Chabot, the defense appeared unsorted.
Despite the comfortable lead from the first leg in Glasgow, where Stuttgart won 4-1, coach Sebastian Hoeneß had urged focus before the match. “It will be about summoning full performance readiness and acting consistently from the first minute in our stadium,” he said. Celtic, having heavily rotated their starting lineup with only three professionals from the first leg, stood defensively solid.
Stuttgart took control but rarely created big chances. After a quarter of an hour, Badredine Bouanani was denied by goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo. In the second half, Hoeneß substituted Chris Führich for Jamie Leweling, followed later by Ermedin Demirovic and Angelo Stiller. Führich and Undav scored, but both goals were disallowed for offside, the latter amid jeers after a video review showed Demirovic offside. This echoed a recent Bundesliga match against Heidenheim, where two Stuttgart goals were ruled out similarly.
In the round of 16, Stuttgart will face a Portuguese team—either Sporting Braga or FC Porto—on March 12 and 19, as decided by the draw on Friday. Their last appearance in the round of 16 was in the 2012/2013 season. Next league fixture: Sunday against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
