Stuttgart Holds Aggregate Lead Despite Celtic Win in Europa League Playoff

STUTTGART, Germany — VfB Stuttgart advanced to the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 after a 1-0 victory by Celtic over VfB Stuttgart in the second leg of their Round of 32 playoff on Thursday, but the German side’s substantial first-leg advantage meant they progressed 4-2 on aggregate. The match took place at MHPArena on Thursday evening, with Celtic’s lone goal coming in the opening minute through Luke McCowan, according to match reports and official scorelines.

McCowan scored in the 1st minute, with an assist from Junior Adamu, giving Celtic an early lead in Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart controlled possession for much of the game but failed to convert scoring opportunities, finishing with a 0-1 domestic result. Aggregate scoring from the pair of legs left the Scottish visitors unable to overturn a 4-1 first-leg defeat in Glasgow.

Stuttgart’s first-leg win at Celtic Park featured four goals from VfB players, including a brace by Bilal El Khannouss and strikes by Jamie Leweling and Tiago Tomás, while Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren scored their only goal in that match. That result set up a challenging task for Celtic in the return fixture.

In the second leg, Stuttgart saw two potential goals ruled out for offside in the second half, while Celtic defended resolutely after their early strike. Match statistics showed Stuttgart held a significant share of possession and created more attacking opportunities overall, but could not convert them into goals against Celtic’s defence.

Stuttgart will discover their Round of 16 opponent following the draw scheduled Friday in Nyon, with potential matchups including Portuguese sides FC Porto or Sporting Braga, officials said. The German club’s next competitive fixture is a Bundesliga match against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.

ALSO READ: BAFTAs Face Backlash After John Davidson’s Tourette-Related Outburst Includes Racial Slur