Thanks to a 4‑1 victory in the first leg, VfB Stuttgart advanced to the Europa League last‑16 even though they lost 0‑1 at home to Celtic Glasgow. The MHP‑Arena match began badly for the hosts when, barely a minute after kickoff, Luke McCowan gave Celtic an early lead with a precise left‑foot shot into the far corner. Although Stuttgart later took control of the game, dominated possession and began to create opportunities, the early deficit remained unaltered. Badredine Bouanani tested the visitor’s goalkeeper with a flat shot, while Jamie Leweling’s attempt from a tight angle missed entirely. Celtic largely focused on defending and launched only sporadic attacks.
The Bundesliga side continued to dominate after the interval as well. Newcomer Chris Führich was introduced to bring fresh energy, while Celtic struggled to find the back of the net. In the 68th minute the Swabians seemed to level the score, but Führich’s goal was cancelled on an off‑side call. A second controversial moment came in the 77th minute when Deniz Undav appeared to score, yet the goal was likewise invalidated after an off‑side position of Ermedin Demirovic had been detected earlier. In the closing minutes the Swabians pushed for an equaliser, with both Führich and Undav creating promising chances, but neither could convert. On Celtic’s side, Sebastian Tounekti failed to beat Alexander Nübel in stoppage time.
Ultimately Stuttgart’s 0‑1 loss on the road had no bearing on their progression due to the 4‑2 aggregate after the home win, allowing them to enter the last‑16 with confidence.