Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic: Player ratings + talking points in historic Euro win, two 8/10s stake strong case to start vs Rangers
How we rated the Celtic players in their famous 1-0 Europa League win over Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart at the MHP Arena in Germany
Celtic created a slice of history by winning on German soil for the first time in 17 attempts - but their shock 1-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart wasn’t enough to avoid a Europa League exit.
The Hoops travelled to southwestern Germany looking to salvage their European campaign after suffering a heavy 4-1 play-off first-leg defeat last Thursday, leaving their hopes of reaching the last-16 of the competition hanging by a thread.
In addition, the Scottish champions had never won an away European fixture in the country after losing 12 times and drawing on four occasions, although they would’ve taken some heart from their most recent trip back in February 2025 during last season’s Champions League campaign, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich.
Midfielder Luke McCowan broke the deadlock after just 28 seconds to give the much-changed visitors fresh optimism and glimmer of hope in the tie. It turned out to be the match-winner, despite Stuttgart staging a second half siege on Viljami Sinisalo’s goal.
The hosts did have the ball in the net on two separate occasions through Chris Fuhrich and Denis Undaz, but both goals were correctly ruled out for offside by VAR.
Celtic were unable to find the additional three goals required to complete an epic turnaround, but they held on to secure what was a morale-boosting victory ahead of Sunday’s pivotal Old Firm clash against bitter rivals Rangers.
With the tie all-but over, interim boss Martin O’Neill took the opportunity to rotate his squad with one eye on league matters this weekend. He made EIGHT changes to his starting XI from the team that went down 2-1 at home to Hibs last weekend.
For much of this contest, it seemed increasingly likely that Stuttgart would find an equaliser and canter over the finish line. McCowan’s early strike, which came after some neat link-up play involving Junior Adamu, was Celtic’s only shot on goal for a lengthy period.
Daizen Maeda passed up a great chance to double their advantage within five minutes, but he failed to get a touch on Adamu’s teasing cross. Defensively, a makeshift pairing of Auston Trusty and Dane Murray stood firm.
The second half followed a similar pattern with the Germans dictating proceedings and threatening a leveller. Sinisalo produced several top saves to justify his inclusion between the sticks in place of the under-fire Kasper Schmeichel.
This was an impressive win - one that will be remembered fondly by the travelling support - but it wasn’t enough to avoid dropping out of the Europa league knockout play-offs.
Here, GlasgowWorld breaks down three main talking points from the game and how the Celtic players fared:
Pride intact for O’Neill’s side on historic night
There were plenty of positives for Martin O’Neill to take from his side’s display on a night where Celtic made it 17th time lucky in Germany. The Irishman rotated his squad and was also able to rest a number of key players for Sunday’s trip across the city to Ibrox.
Under-fire keeper Kasper Schmeichel was taken out of the firing line after a string of major blunders in recent weeks and back-up stopper Viljami Sinisalo will have been delighted to record a clean sheet.
Admirable performance to end Euro campaign
This was a resilient effort from a heavily rotated Celtic side who have taken their fair share of stick in recent weeks. While their European journey may have come to an end, a number of fringe men have staked their case to start against Rangers, with Sinisalo and McCowan in particular standing out.
There was also plenty to like about January addition Junior Adamu’s contribution, while young centre-half Dane Murray grew in stature as the game progressed. All in all, the can emerge from this 90 minutes proud of their night’s work. A three-goal win was always a distant dream.
All hands on deck in wilting title race defence
The question now is whether Celtic can back this result up when it matters most in a tense Scottish Premiership title race. Can O’Neill’s men produce a similar performance full of grit and determination at the home of their arch rivals. Time will tell...
One thing is for sure, Celtic can’t afford to lose any further ground on leaders Hearts. Defeat in Govan would see them slide out of contention and staring at the possibility of a trophyless season with a Scottish Cup quarter-final tie back at Ibrox the following weekend.
Celtic player ratings vs Stuttgart
GK - Viljami Sinisalo (8/10)
RB - Colby Donovan (7/10)
LCB - Dane Murray (7/10)
CM - Callum McGregor (7/10)
CM - Reo Hatate (7/10)
CM - Luke McCowan (8/10)
RW - Yang Hyun-jun (6/10)
LW - Daizen Maeda (7/10)
CF - Junior Adamu (7/10)