Celtic Vs Vfb Stuttgart: Schmeichel in spotlight after 4-1 Parkhead collapse

celtic vs vfb stuttgart finished 4-1 at Parkhead, a heavy Europa League play-off first-leg defeat that left goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel under intense scrutiny and handed Stuttgart a strong first-leg advantage.

Celtic’s keeper at the centre of the night

At half-time the focus was squarely on Schmeichel after he was beaten to his left for Stuttgart's opening goal by a tame Bilal El Khannouss effort, and then beaten again when the on-loan Leicester City man added a second with a free header from seven yards out; by full-time Jamie Leweling's powerful strike had gone straight through the 39-year-old goalkeeper for Stuttgart's third, and Tiago Tomas added a fourth in the closing stages to complete the 4-1 scoreline.

Celtic Vs Vfb Stuttgart: the atmosphere and reaction at Parkhead

Fans protested against the club's board at the start of the match and later ironically cheered when Schmeichel made a save, creating a fractious atmosphere at Parkhead; former Scotland forward James McFadden said at half-time that the goalkeeper "is not expecting shots" and suggested opponents could see a weakness to his left-hand side.

Managers, past mistakes and the immediate fixtures

Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon called the jeers directed at Schmeichel unwarranted after a night he described as "bitterly disappointing, " while interim manager Martin O'Neill said: "It's a tough evening for us. On paper, 4-1 looks pretty poor. We were masters of our own downfall in many respects, conceded some poor goals. " O'Neill also pointed to an earlier performance against Feyenoord when Schmeichel had made an "unbelievable save. "

The defeat leaves Celtic to regroup quickly: they host Hibernian and then travel to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, either side of next Thursday's remaining first-leg trip to Germany that the managers have framed as an unlikely salvage mission.