Stuttgart reaches Europa League last 16 despite home loss to Celtic

BERLIN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- VfB Stuttgart moved into the UEFA Europa League round of 16 despite a 1-0 home defeat to Celtic on Thursday, progressing on aggregate thanks to a commanding first-leg advantage.

The Bundesliga side went into the second leg with a 4-1 cushion but was stunned almost immediately. After just 30 seconds, Junior Adamu slipped a pass through for Luke McCowan, who finished low past the goalkeeper to give the visitors an early lead.

Celtic briefly pushed forward with confidence, yet Stuttgart soon took control of possession and territory. Badredine Bouanani forced a save from Viljami Sinisalo in the 16th minute, but the hosts struggled to translate their dominance into clear chances before the interval.

Sebastian Hoeness introduced Chris Fuhrich at the restart, and Stuttgart returned with greater urgency. Tiago Tomas tested the Celtic defense, while Bouanani and Deniz Undav both threatened as pressure mounted.

The home side thought it had leveled in the 68th minute when Fuhrich found the net, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. A second blow followed when Undav volleyed in from close range, but the build-up involving Ermedin Demirovic was again judged offside.

Stuttgart continued to press through the closing stages, with Undav and Fuhrich both going close, yet the equalizer never arrived and Celtic held on for the narrow victory.

Despite the defeat, Stuttgart advance to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League with a 4-2 aggregate success, while Celtic's campaign in the competition comes to an end after the play-off tie.

Domestically, Stuttgart now faces Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, while Celtic shifts focus to the Old Firm clash with Rangers. The German club must now wait for the Europa League draw to learn whether Porto or Braga will be its next opponents.

"We are through to the next round and that was our objective. We also deserved to go through. The game started in the worst possible way. Of course we would have preferred to win, but our progress was never in danger. Still, we have the ambition not to lose a match like this," Stuttgart coach Hoeness said. ■