Celtic manager Martin O'Neill defended goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after the 39-year-old was booed by his own fans during a 4-1 Europa League defeat to Stuttgart. Schmeichel was slow to react to the first goal of a Bilal El Khannouss double and made a poor attempt to stop Jamie Leweling's low drive that made it 3-1. A section of supporters jeered Schmeichel every time he touched the ball in the subsequent five minutes.

O'Neill, who admitted his team conceded some "really poor goals," reminded critics of Schmeichel's past heroics, including a crucial save against Feyenoord that kept Celtic's European campaign alive. When asked about potentially playing Viljami Sinisalo instead, O'Neill said: "Kasper Schmeichel has played so many games, he's had some dips in his time, and he's come right back. Kasper Schmeichel has done exceptionally well for me in my time here." The manager also criticized fans who disrupted the game's start by throwing miniature balls onto the pitch in protest.

Benjamin Nygren briefly leveled the score before Tomas's stoppage-time strike gave Stuttgart the advantage ahead of next week's return leg in Germany. The result leaves Celtic facing what appears to be a distraction amid their domestic title battle, with the second leg coming just three days before their first of two consecutive away trips to Ibrox to face Rangers. O'Neill insisted his focus remains on Sunday's visit of Hibernian.