Celtic have been eliminated from the Europa League by Stuttgart.
That’s despite becoming just the second team after Bayern Munich to win away at Stuttgart this season, in a battling performance from Martin O’Neill’s side.
It wasn’t enough to recover the seismic three-goal deficit from Celtic’s defeat in the first leg at home, but it showed some much-needed signs of life.
Here are five things we learned on a night of partial redemption in
Celtic’s Europa League run comes to an end despite the win against Stuttgart 🥲
But who gets your man of the match from that spirited performance?
An exceptional performance from Luke McCowan
Luke McCowan hasn’t been getting the minutes he would want since O’Neill’s return, but with his performance tonight, that could change.
In his first start since Auchinleck Talbot, McCowan’s energy, composure and excellently-taken goal rounded a top performance.
Viljami Sinisalo steps in with a clean sheet
The headline of O’Neill’s team selection was undoubtedly the decision to drop Kasper Schmeichel, who has been under immense pressure for his recent performances.
READ MORE: How Jens Berthel Askou can be a Celtic asset by staying at Motherwell raised by Michael Stewart
Stepping in was Viljami Sinisalo, and tonight could be the making of his Celtic career. He more than stood his ground, earning a clean sheet with his shot-stopping.
As far as European debuts go, they simply don’t get much better.
Dane Murray battles well
If this was an Ibrox audition for Dane Murray, he got through it well. Aggressive and competitive, he made the most of another rare opportunity to start.
Benjamin Arthur was unable to play due to the limit on new signings that could be registered in Celtic’s Europa League squad.
McCowan has often played out of position on the wing this season 🙃
It's time he was given more of a chance in his natural role. Tell me if you agree ⏬
Selection headaches for Martin O’Neill
Given how some Celtic players performed on a rare opportunity to start, Martin O’Neill has some major decisions to make on Sunday.
Celtic haven’t won at Ibrox in two-and-a-half years, and defeat could be fatal for Celtic’s title hopes. Tonight, some players showed that they can handle the big occasions.
Sunday will be an even greater test of their mentality.
The wait for a European knockout win goes on
O’Neill was the last Celtic manager to win a European knockout tie, doing so against Barcelona 22 years ago. He could’ve ended the wait with this tie, but it proved to be too tough a task.
The Hoops manager’s existential comments after the first leg were a telling insight into the general pessimism that we’ve grown to have in Europe.
The wait goes on…
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