VfB Stuttgart has almost secured their place in the Europa League round of 16 after a spectacular 4:1 victory over Celtic in Glasgow. The hero of the match was Bilal El Khannouss, who scored two goals. In other playoff matches, Lille lost at home to Crvena zvezda Belgrade 0:1, while Spanish side Celta Vigo earned a narrow advantage by defeating PAOK Thessaloniki 2:1 away. Pole Karol Świderski played for Panathinaikos in the match against Viktoria Plzeň.

German Domination in Glasgow

VfB Stuttgart defeated Celtic 4:1, with Bilal El Khannouss being the key figure, scoring two goals and bringing the Germans closer to the round of 16.

Lille OSC Crisis Deepened

The French team lost at home to Crvena zvezda 0:1, which provoked the fury of ultras and attacks with pyrotechnic materials on their own players.

Effective Celta Vigo in Greece

The team from Vigo won 2:1 against PAOK Thessaloniki thanks to a great performance by Iago Aspas, despite a late consolation goal for the hosts.

Polish Accent in Athens

Karol Świderski played in the match for Panathinaikos against Viktoria Plzeň, which ended in a victory for the Greeks, giving them a chance to advance.

Thursday evenings with the Europa League brought many emotions and several unexpected outcomes in the playoff stage. The biggest thrashing was delivered by VfB Stuttgart players to their rivals, defeating the hosts by a resounding 4:1 at the legendary Celtic Park. The match began with an unexpected incident – Celtic fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch, forcing a brief stoppage. When play resumed, the German visitors quickly took the initiative. Bilal El Khannouss scored twice, capitalizing on defensive errors and the uncertain performance of Kasper Schmeichel. The Danish goalkeeper was booed by his own supporters after letting in two shots that seemed within his reach. In another significant clash, French side Lille plunged deeper into crisis, losing at home to Crvena zvezda Belgrade 0:1. The team led by Bruno Genesio could not find a way past the visitors' well-organized defense, with the only goal for the Serbian team scored by Cherif Ndiaye. Fans in Lille did not hide their anger, pelting players with flares and smoke bombs after the final whistle. The situation for the club from northern France is now dramatic, as this was their ninth defeat in ten matches played in 2026. A positive note for Iberian Peninsula fans was the performance of Celta Vigo, who won in Thessaloniki against PAOK 2:1 thanks to goals from Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg. The Celtic Park stadium, known as "Paradise," was opened in 1892 and is one of the largest sports venues in Scotland, famous for its extremely heated atmosphere during European cup matches. Polish fans closely followed the performance of Karol Świderski in the colors of Panathinaikos. The Greek team faced Viktoria Plzeň and, despite a terrible start, managed to avoid defeat. Świderski, being his team's top scorer in this edition of the competition, played in the match, which ended in a draw giving hope for advancement in the return leg. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, who was celebrating his 1000th match as a manager, had no reason to celebrate, openly criticizing the behavior of fans throwing objects onto the pitch and assessing his team's performance as far from ideal. [{"team1": "Celtic Glasgow", "team2": "VfB Stuttgart", "score1": 1, "score2": 4}, {"team1": "Lille OSC", "team2": "Crvena zvezda", "score1": 0, "score2": 1}, {"team1": "PAOK Thessaloniki", "team2": "Celta Vigo", "score1": 1, "score2": 2}, {"team1": "Panathinaikos", "team2": "Viktoria Plzeň", "score1": 2, "score2": 1}] It was a difficult evening. Our fans throwing balls onto the pitch only helped the opponents knock us out of our rhythm right at the start of the match. 1000 — matches in his managerial career celebrated by Martin O'Neill during the defeat to Stuttgart

Mentioned People

  • Martin O'Neill — Manager of Celtic Glasgow, celebrating his 1000th match in his professional career.
  • Kasper Schmeichel — Goalkeeper for the Denmark national team and Celtic, heavily criticized for mistakes in the match against Stuttgart.
  • Karol Świderski — Polish national team player playing for Panathinaikos Athens.
  • Iago Aspas — Legend and captain of Celta Vigo, scorer of a goal in the match against PAOK Thessaloniki.