Celtic ended their Europa League campaign with a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Stuttgart in Germany, sealed by Luke McCowan's early goal. The result, however, was not enough to overturn a 4-1 first-leg deficit, with the Bundesliga side progressing 4-2 on aggregate.
McCowan fired Celtic ahead within a minute after neat link-up play from Junior Adamu, giving the visitors their first ever win on German soil in 17 attempts. Stuttgart thought they had added a fifth aggregate goal late on, but a VAR check ruled it out, ensuring Celtic secured a clean sheet.
Manager Martin O'Neill made eight changes with an eye on Sunday's visit to Ibrox, and his reshuffled side showed resilience throughout. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was among the standout performers, making several fine saves and staking a claim for the starting spot ahead of Schmeichel.
While Celtic bowed out of Europe, the players restored some pride after a heavy first-leg defeat. Attentions now turn to a season-defining double-header against Rangers, with O'Neill likely to have plenty to say about the performance.
