Celtic suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the first leg of their Europa League play-off round at Celtic Park. Bilal El Khannouss scored twice, flanking a Benjamin Nygren goal in the first half to seize control for the visitors. Jamie Leweling and substitute Tiago Tomas added late strikes to seal the win.
O’Neill Reflects on Celtic’s Shortcomings
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, marking his 1,000th game in charge, described the loss as a ‘tough evening.’ He pinpointed defensive lapses as key, stating, ‘We were masters of our own downfall in many aspects. We conceded poor goals. At 1-1 we were well in the game, even at 2-1.’
The 73-year-old acknowledged the daunting second leg in Germany next Thursday against a Stuttgart side sitting fourth in the Bundesliga. ‘It’s a tough ask to get through the tie. You’re travelling over to a side who are very capable of winning this competition,’ O’Neill said.
He emphasized Celtic’s current challenges: ‘At some stage, Celtic will become a top-quality team, but that’s in the future. At this minute, our battles are elsewhere. It’s very difficult for Scottish teams. There’s no money. You’re talking about Premier League sides and Bundesliga sides buying players for £40 million and them not playing.’
Schmeichel Faces Fan Backlash
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel bore criticism for two goals, drawing boos from some supporters in the second half. O’Neill defended the 39-year-old, noting, ‘Kasper Schmeichel has made some big saves since I’ve been at the club. The game against Feyenoord, he pulls off a great save, and without that we may not even have been playing here. This is a collective.’
The manager claimed he did not hear the boos: ‘I genuinely don’t know.’
Fan Protest Disrupts Match
The game faced an early delay as Celtic fans protested against the board, hurling tennis balls onto the pitch moments after kick-off. Stewards and players cleared the debris.
O’Neill condemned the action: ‘Anyone who thinks that is a good idea needs their head examined. A way back, this was an incredibly difficult, intimidating place to come. Teams like Juventus were terrified coming here. That sort of thing does not help at all. What it does do is Stuttgart find out there’s a lot of infighting going on. It doesn’t make sense to me. If I’m a Stuttgart player, I’m pretty happy if that’s the case.’
McGregor Eyes Pride in Return Leg
Captain Callum McGregor insisted the defeat will not define Celtic’s season. ‘I think they scored at good times. I don’t think it’s a 4-1 game and if you look back, we had some good moments. The goals come at good times for them and kill any of our momentum. I think the third goal is the one which kills us.’
He added, ‘We have to keep going, have to keep fighting, so many big games. That won’t define the season in terms of what we’re trying to do. The focus is now on Sunday against Hibs and when we go there next week, we have to claw some pride back.’
