It is just as well Martin O’Neill wanted no celebration of his 1,000th game in professional management. Stuttgart used the occasion of their visit to Glasgow to demonstrate the chasm between themselves and Celtic. Men against Bhoys.
Next week’s return leg in this Europa League playoff feels a formality. O’Neill’s selection in Germany will be intriguing, given lingering battles on the domestic front. Celtic’s on field regression is the most stark of things, given a year ago they were frightening Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Stuttgart may have bigger fish to fry than this competition. Nonetheless, at Celtic Park their approach was impressive. Stuttgart could and should have scored more. They will be quietly content of a place in the last 16 being secure.
The evening had opened in unedifying style for Celtic. Only seconds after kick-off, supporters threw tennis balls on the pitch as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with the club’s board of directors.
The protest felt half-hearted yet Uefa are likely to take a dim view of a delay in play which lasted for three minutes. One of umpteen fascinating aspects of this strangest of Celtic campaigns involves the split between supporter base and boardroom. This is a fractured club, held together where it possibly can be by a 73-year-old manager.
O’Neill had done nothing to sugarcoat the scale of Celtic’s task, branding the Stuttgart games the toughest of the season for his team. This was hardly a novel point; the fourth-placed side in the Bundesliga were facing one who squeezed past Dundee, Livingston and Kilmarnock in recent matches. Should they be sufficiently motivated, Stuttgart should rank among the Europa League favourites.
With this in mind, the Germans barely needed the favours provided by Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic’s goalkeeping position has been a problem for months, with Schmeichel’s regular blundering only emphasising why he should have been replaced last summer.
In the Dane’s latest ragged episode, he floated a kick-out into Stuttgart possession before diving over what was a tame shot from Bilal El Khannouss. Deniz Undav is due credit for a cute flick into El Khannouss’ path but the goal was the doing of Schmeichel. O’Neill has a serious call to make over whether to retain faith in his custodian. This feels a miserable way for the 39-year-old’s career to wind down.
Stuttgart decided to get in on the act of defensive generosity as the hosts equalised. Dangerous play between the goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and Atakan Karazor resulted in the latter taking a poor touch on his 18-yard line. Benjamin Nygren stole in, rounding Nübel before slotting home. Parity was the least Celtic deserved for their play in the game’s opening quarter.
Nygren’s intervention stung Stuttgart into action. El Khannouss was the scorer as the visitors edged in front for a second time. Celtic were again slack by leaving the forward in splendid isolation as he headed Angelo Stiller’s deflected cross. Schmeichel was beaten at his near post. Stuttgart finished the first period firmly in the ascendancy without troubling Schmeichel.
Celtic had shown elements of second-half promise prior to the goal which surely settled the tie in Stuttgart’s favour. Schmeichel was again culpable, having misread a 20-yard shot from Jamie Leweling which was fierce but not particularly well placed. The anger of the Celtic support towards Schmeichel was now apparent, with the goalkeeper booed during subsequent touches.
Stuttgart were only denied a rapid fourth by the interventions of the video assistant referee due to offside in the buildup to the excellent Ermedin Demirovic flicking over the advancing Schmeichel.
Nübel saved excellently from Nygren as Celtic sought to claw their way back into proceedings. To their credit, in the face of such superior opposition, Celtic were refusing to wilt. The problem was hope filled the air when Celtic attacked versus expectancy when Stuttgart did likewise.
Against the backdrop of a subdued atmosphere – even Schmeichel was spared abuse by the 80th minute – Stuttgart played an attractive version of keep ball. A raft of substitutions impacted the flow of the game, with Demirovic’s exit of solace to O’Neill. Tiago Tomás drilled in a low shot which Celtic’s goalkeeper saved to ironic cheers.
Nikolas Nartey headed wide of the Celtic goal. Schmeichel and Celtic had suffered enough. O’Neill must hope Stuttgart are of similarly forgiving mind in his game number 1002. If not, the aggregate outcome could lurch towards the embarrassing for a club who have supposed aspirations of making headway in this very domain.
The substitute Tomás added a fourth goal in stoppage time to deepen the gloom.
