Europa League: Stuttgart advance despite defeat and Olivier Giroud's record goal

The competition in European cups has entered its decisive phase, with the return legs providing fans with immense emotions and refereeing controversies. German VfB Stuttgart secured promotion to the Europa League round of 16, although the match against Celtic Glasgow ended 0:1. The Scottish team, despite a consolation victory, failed to overturn the deficit from the first leg. The main topic of discussion after the match became the video verification system. Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirović sharply criticized the referees' decisions when millimeter offside calls disallowed the hosts' goals. The player publicly called for greater tolerance in interpreting the rules, calling the current strictness of the system "unbelievable". Great moments were experienced in France by Olivier Giroud. The experienced Lille OSC striker not only helped his team eliminate Serbian Crvena zvezda Belgrade, which featured Marko Arnautović, but also reached the milestone of 300 goals in his professional club career. The Frenchman, despite his advanced age, proved he can still decide matches at the highest level. Other established brands also said goodbye to the tournament, and the Italian media widely commented on Bologna's advancement. The team from Emilia-Romagna defeated Norwegian Brann for the second time, this time narrowly 1:0 thanks to a goal by Joao Mario, and optimistically awaits the draw for the next round, where they could face Roma or Freiburg. The European Football Federation (UEFA) abolished the away goals rule in 2021, significantly changing team tactics in the knockout phase and leading to more extra time. However, terrible moods prevail in Switzerland, which lost its last representative on the international stage. Lausanne-Sport lost to Czech Sigma Olomouc in the Conference League, which the media describe as a disaster for the national ranking. The absence of Swiss teams in the spring cup campaign means a drop in the UEFA ranking, which in the coming years will limit the number of spots guaranteeing participation in the qualifiers. Poland has reason to be satisfied in these competitions thanks to the performance of Karol Świderski, who maintained high scoring form for his team, confirming aspirations to fight for the final triumph. „Ich finde es unfassbar. Nach solchen Millimeter-Entscheidungen fühlt man sich als Spieler einfach nur machtlos.” (I find it unbelievable. After such millimeter decisions, as a player you just feel powerless.) — Ermedin Demirović Among other outcomes, it is worth noting the advancement of Spanish Celta Vigo, which confidently secured a place in the top sixteen, avoiding the mistakes of favorites. The upcoming round of 16 draw promises to be extremely interesting, as the remaining teams present a very balanced sporting level. For clubs like Stuttgart or Bologna, the current campaign is a chance to remind the football world of themselves after years of absence from the continental elite. The UEFA Cup, the predecessor of the Europa League, was established in 1971 and over decades evolved from a knockout tournament to the current format with a league phase and play-offs.