Celtic win on the night, but dominant Stuttgart seal Europa League progress on aggregate | OneFootball

VfB Stuttgart and Celtic Glasgow met in an Europa League matchup with some of the best fans in Europe - the football on the pitch however, was a little bit disappointing.

VfB Stuttgart asserted clear control throughout the second leg of this matchup and pushed relentlessly for an equaliser, after conceding really early on. The Bundesliga side even found the net twice, but both goals were ruled out for offside, denying Stuttgart a deserved reward for their dominance. Despite creating the better chances and dictating the tempo, Stuttgart were unable to overturn Celtic’s early lead on the night.

Celtic held on for a 1-0 away victory, showing resilience and defensive discipline under sustained pressure. However, Stuttgart’s commanding 4-1 win in the first leg ensured there was no dramatic comeback. The German side progressed comfortably on aggregate, advancing to the next round with a 4-2 overall victory.

Full match report: VfB Stuttgart vs. Celtic Glasgow

VfB Stuttgart faced an early setback in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie as Celtic's Luke McCowan stunned the home crowd with a goal inside the opening minute. The midfielder finished confidently with his left foot from the centre of the penalty area to give the visitors a 1-0 lead on the night and inject belief into Celtic’s hopes of a comeback.

This was the worst start possible for Sebastian Hoeneß' side - they, ideally, wanted to control and manage the game from start to finish, but the early goal made Celtic believe in a huge comeback.

Despite the lightning start, the first half developed into a far more balanced affair compared to the first leg, which VfB Stuttgart had dominated en route to a commanding 4-1 victory in Glasgow. Stuttgart responded well to the early shock and gradually established themselves as the stronger side.

Stuttgart’s attacking play was particularly driven by Jamie Leweling, who delivered an energetic and highly visible performance. The winger repeatedly launched forward runs and applied aggressive pressing, disrupting Celtic’s attempts to build from the back and helping Stuttgart regain possession in dangerous areas.

Nevertheless, McCowan’s early strike ensured Celtic remained firmly in the contest. While Stuttgart have looked the more dangerous and composed team throughout much of the first half, the Scottish champions now have renewed hope of mounting an unlikely comeback after their heavy defeat in the first leg.

Stuttgart came out strong out of halftime - they did not want to repeat what happened at the start of this match. The first 15 minutes looked just like the first encounter between both sides: Stuttgart dominated, Celtic tried their luck in rare counter attacks.

Hoeneß's side fully dominated the game from the 65th minute onwards: they even scored two offside goals, both Führich and Undav were visibly frustrated. 

The fans expected a big pressure phase from the guest - but it never came. Führich had a few other good chances to score for his team, but Stuttgart were just not lucky enough to get a goal in tonight - even though their expected goal rate felt like it was five times as high as the one of Celtic.

Final result: VfB Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic Glasgow.

Final result after both games: VfB Stuttgart 4-2 Celtic Glasgow.