VfB Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic – Time for some Definitive Ratings | OneFootball

SANDMAN’S DEFINITIVE RATINGS: CELTIC @ STAGGERED…

“Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?” – Bob Dylan.

Viljami Sinisalo of Celtic FC looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

VINDALOO – 7.5/10 – Big game, big test… Big goalie. Matches like these define your Celtic career, and the number one shirt will – and should – be deservedly his after the summer. If not before, dependant on Kasper’s decline/injury situation. Getting frazzled in a German cauldron by a top Bundesliga side is the most unforgiving acid test any young keeper could go through. Vinny came out of this one having displayed a plethora of goalkeeping attributes with decent saves across the board. Most impressive for me was his focussed calm, and sharpness. Keeper’s a keeper.

26 02 2026, UEFA Europa League, VfB Stuttgart Celtic Glasgow v l Colby Donovan Celtic Glasgow Jamie Leweling VfB Stuttgart battle for the ball. Photo IMAGO

MELLOW YELLOW – 7/10 – A roustabout with one of the best wide-men in the Bundesliga – and he came out smiling. Showed he was right up for the jousting, refused to be rinsed, kept coming back for more to the frustration of his opponent. Handicapped by a yellow for trying to swap jerseys too early, but maintained his composure until hooked.

Josha Vagnoman of VfB Stuttgart battles for possession with Marcelo Saracchi of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

SCRATCHY – 7/10 – With the Mexican cartels running riot, there must have been a level of nostalgia burning within our diminutive Uruguayan hitman. He’s certainly all-action and up for the conflict, which was a necessity against relentless attacks, but does also seen to possess fine timing for the knife-edge moments when a toe or touch is the difference between defiance or disaster. Fine game.

Players of VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC anticipate a corner kick during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

GREAT – 7/10 – ‘KISSED’ was the game-plan acronym – Keep It Simple, Stupid, Especially Dane. And the kid did. For once he maintained his intensity for the 90 minutes. No daft or hapless incidents; quite the opposite as his intuition and commitment produced the goal-saving block of the night, just yards out. A massive confidence-boosting and priceless experience night for the bhoy.

Auston Trusty of Celtic FC looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

CRUSTY THE CLOWN – 7.5/10 – Solid and masterful defending from the recently-maligned and mercilessly victimised (by treacherous MIBs), big Yank. With his young sidekick needing a bit of prompting, the big bhoy had his hands full, more so as when Stuttgart piled forward they pushed two men down the middle. But Austin took control of the situation, kept pushing the line high, forcing them to make decisions, alter runs. He kept good command of our final third until the last fifteen, when their quality overwhelmed our tiring legs, but even then his battling nature deep in the box kept them out. He’ll be a miss, Sunday, on this sort of form. And the devious MIBs knew it…

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Callum McGregor of Celtic plays the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

CALMAC – 7/10 – An unlikely ally for him in the middle tonight – Reo. But the two of them coped well; given the Germans’ penchant for actually playing football instead of kicking lumps out of our midfield, Calmac and Reo managed to keep up some decent footballing intensity when we got on the ball. And he managed a sterling captain’s job off it to keep our heads in the game and hopes alive.

Reo Hatate on the ball,UEFA Europa League VfB Stuttgart Celtic Glasgow 0 1 on 26 02 2026 MHP ARENA. Photo IMAGO

HAKUNA HATATE – 6/10 – As above, Reo was forced to work or die tonight, and for the majority of the game he proved an asset rather than recent liability. He’s still not the top-level Hatate of title-winning renown but I’ll take an interested, involved Reo for the remainder of the season if he’s got the enthusiasm for it.

HIGHLAND TOFFEE – 8/10 MOTM – About 30 minutes in Luke shuffles the ball between his feet with a deft move and sparks us on an attack. I knew then his sights were in and his buzz was genuine after setting us up for a surprise win with that terrific strike before the game had even kicked-off…He was the most energising Celt, looking a dangerous option every time his feet sparkled, providing great speedy linkups for counters. Sad to see him benched so early – thought he had ten or fifteen more crucial, creative minutes left in his legs. Maybe a sign he’ll get the jersey Sunday? No complaints here if he can reproduce this form more consistently. Or even just for the next fortnight.

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Maximilian Mittelstaedt of VfB Stuttgart is challenged by Yang Hyun-Jun of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

YING – 6/10 – A battler, he is. Mostly on the back foot tonight. No shortage of skill in the feet but that competitive edge IS his edge – unusual to find a winger so willing to dig deep when required. But kudos to the Korean Jamesy for his willingness to get involved in the dirty stuff; Korean Jamesy right enough…

Maximilian Mittelstaedt of VfB Stuttgart challenges Junior Adamu of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

YOUNG ADAMSKI – 6/10 – I like his attitude. Tough ask going Han Solo against such a disciplined, accomplished defence but he roved and rattled and did what he could – lovely assist for our goal. Only complaints would be his inability to hold up the ball, or that he laid it off carelessly too often. But…That could be a straightforward lack of match-sharpness rather than basic clumsy touch. Jury remains in the pub. Or at least we did when I did jury duty; Was he guilty? Don’t know. Was it a fair trial? Don’t know. What was it about anyway? Don’t remember. Was steamin’ on freebie expenses…

Viljami Sinisalo and Daizen Maeda of Celtic FC reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

LORD KATSUMOTO – 6.5/10 – Heid dyed like an Anime comic villain, we nearly got peak Euro-Daizen, as his dynamism narrowly failed on a few occasion to bear fruit. Is he revving-up (quite literally) for a devastatingly powerful finish to the season and his time at the club? He looked a lot more engaged, willing and able tonight. Let’s hope it’s the beginning of a glorious end.

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SUBS –

Finn Jeltsch of VfB Stuttgart plays the ball next to Benjamin Nygren of Celtic FC during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

NYLON – N/A – There he is! And… Nope. Man down.

26 02 2026,UEFA Europa League, VfB Stuttgart Celtic Glasgow v Sebastian Tounekti Celtic FC. Photo IMAGO

TUTANKHAMUN – N/A – Jeez, what a chance Mikey J had in the last minute – perfectly teed onto his favourite foot for a Kille/Talbot speciality that would have really rattled them for the added time. But he Mikey J’d it indeed.

Tomas Cvancara of Celtic. Stuttgart v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Knockout Round Play Offs, Second Leg, Football, MHP Arena, Stuttgart, Germany – 26 Feb 2026Stuttgart MHP Arena Germany Photo James Marsh IMAGO/ Shutterstock

CARAVAN – N/A – Eager, and tussled well enough, just never quite got a sniff up front.

26.02.2026, UEFA Europa League, VfB Stuttgart Celtic Glasgow v l Maximilian Mittelstädt VFB Stuttgart, 7 expects Kelechi Iheanacho Celtic FC, photo IMAGO.

ITCHYCOO PARK – N/A – Worth a roll of the dice to put Keleche in there. Had one promising moment.

Auston Trusty and Anthony Ralston of Celtic react during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

TONY THE TIGER – 6.5/10 – Absolutely superb, by the way, all you greetin’ social media virgins out there – the mhan you love to hate was a rock willing to put his body on the line for the cause and play his part in a historic victory. Terrific series of defensive headers to keep them at bay. Also managed to mollocate their big brute of a striker with his best intervention, which was a wince-inducing classic stick-the-heid-on-him moment. Luckily for Tony, the ball got in the way of his perfectly-executed head-butt…

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Celtic Manager Martin O Neill waves to fans. Stuttgart v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Knockout Round Play Offs, Second Leg, Football, MHP Arena, Stuttgart, Germany – 26 Feb 2026Stuttgart MHP Arena Germany Photo James Marsh Shutterstock

FATHER MARTIN AND SAMWISE GANGEE – 7/10 – Well, he made the changes many wanted and maybe expected, and certainly got a turn out of them. And more…A first win on German soil to pin on his illustrious Celtic CV, and maybe a far more valuable mental boost for the squad than he could possibly have anticipated. The motivation and tactics were spot-on and incredibly useful going into the domestic run-in; a landmark win and maybe a pivotal moment of belief for an embattled squad who have been running more on hope than conviction. The team-talks are simple for the rest of the season – ‘This mob are no flaming Stuttgart.’

Referee Irfan Peljto gestures during the UEFA Europa League 2025 26 Knockout Play off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany Photo by Harry Langer DeFodi Images

MIBBERY – 2/10 – Whew. After the inaction when Calmac took a sore one, I feared they might be the Bosnian branch of the Dallas Appreciation Society Of Sleekit Wotsits. But faith in decent officiating was restored when they disallowed the equaliser for that sneaky run-on from the sidelines by one of their own countrymen. Well, feigned an ‘offside’ with photoshopped lines, purely for a bit of sporting integrity. Well played.

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The view from the Celtic end in Stuttgart. VfB Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic. Photo Conor Spence (The Celtic Star)

OVERALL – 8/10 – The game nobody wanted. And nobody wanted to watch. Except the travelling thousands who were magnificent in their support, and will be at every away game until the incompetent, petulant nepo-babies on the board understand the context and necessity of a full home support backing a side to glory at the sharp end of a season.

Kasper Schmeichel, Stevie Woods and Viljami Sinisalo of Celtic. Stuttgart v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Knockout Round Play Offs, Second Leg, Football, MHP Arena, Stuttgart, Germany – 26 Feb 2026Stuttgart MHP Arena Germany Photo James Marsh IMAGO Shutterstock

Aside from that frustrating intransigence, incomprehension, and incompetence at executive level, the team produced a marvellous faith-restoring performance in a proper mad frenzied Euro arena to bolster everyone’s confidence in their ability to get the job done when the mood takes them. Why that mindset and display were bereft of them last week is a bit of a mystery. This was more like the Celtic we know. And expect. Hopefully, quite possibly, this dreaded adventure back into German-taxi and Black Forest Gateau country after 23 years of faffing around across various European competitions, will prove to be an unlikely springboard for a proper Celtic title-surge.

Celtic support in Stuttgart Photo IMAGO / Jan Huebner

A game that spiked DFS’s couch sales turned into an uplifting and prideful evening of restored morale and renewed optimism. With a double Sunday looming of descent into a place of night from the first ages, from the earliest beginnings of the world, we no longer need fear a journey into that heart of darkness. In fact, we should embrace the chance to strike at the black heart and revel in the fascination of the abomination. We live as we dream – never walking alone.

Celtic support in Stuttgart Photo IMAGO / Jan Huebner

See what I did there, Jospeh Conrad fans?

‘Mon The Hoops. Onto a beautiful Sunday.

Or two…

Go Away Now

Sandman

The view from the Celtic end in Stuttgart. VfB Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic. Photo Conor Spence (The Celtic Star)

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order

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