JuicyTalk
Catch up with all of the action from across the Europa League play-off first legs
The midweek European action continued after two days of thrilling Champions League play-off games.
There were plenty of upsets across the continent in the biggest competition, with the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus and Atletico Madrid all struggling in their ties.
Nottingham Forest were representing the Premier League during Thursday’s Europa League action, and they overcame a tough test at Fenerbahce, winning 3-0 to put themselves in the driving seat for the second leg.
Celtic were in action later on, while Lille, Celta Vigo and Ferencvaros were also in action.
You can catch up with the best of the night’s games below, and find a full list of results.
Celtic 1-4 Stuttgart
Stuttgart produced an impressive second-half display to beat Celtic 4-1 at Celtic Park, putting the Scottish side under heavy pressure in the tie.
The visitors struck first after 15 minutes. A poor clearance invited pressure and Deniz Undav flicked the ball into the path of Bilal El Khannouss, who drove into the box and finished past Kasper Schmeichel.
Celtic responded quickly when a defensive mix-up allowed Benjamin Nygren to round Alexander Nubel and score into an empty net.
Parity lasted only seven minutes. A looping delivery from the right dropped to El Khannouss at the near post and he headed in his second, restoring Stuttgart’s lead before the break.
Celtic started the second half with more urgency, but their progress was undone on 57 minutes.
Undav’s low cutback ran through two defenders and Jamie Leweling struck through Schmeichel to make it 3-1. A disallowed Ermedin Demirovic chip briefly spared the hosts further damage, yet Stuttgart remained comfortable in possession while Celtic struggled to create clear chances.
Substitute Tiago Tomas sealed the result in stoppage time, running onto Nikolas Nartey’s cushioned volleyed pass and finishing high into the net.
Lille 0-1 Crevena Zvezda
Crevena Zvezda earned a valuable 1-0 first-leg win away to Lille after striking late on in France.
For long periods the match struggled to find any rhythm, with neither side registering a shot on target across a scrappy opening half hour.
The visitors, however, looked more threatening, particularly through Nair Tiknizyan’s runs down the left and the movement of Jay Enem behind the defence.
The breakthrough arrived in first-half stoppage time. A near-post corner caused confusion inside the six-yard box and, after Enem disrupted his marker, Franklin Uchenna bundled the ball over the line to give the Serbian champions the lead at the interval.
Lille attempted to respond after the break, introducing Nabil Bentaleb and later Olivier Giroud, but they struggled to create clear openings and finished without a shot on target.
The visitors arguably came closer to scoring again, with Marko Arnautovic and Vladimir Lucic both missing clear chances on the counterattack.
Full Europa League results
Brann 0-1 Bologna
Dinamo Zagreb 1-3 Genk
Fenerbahce 0-3 Nottingham Forest
PAOK 1-2 Celta Vigo
Celtic 1-4 Stuttgart
Lille 0-1 Crvena Zvezda
Ludogorets 2-1 Ferencvaros
Panathinaikos 2-2 Viktoria Plzen
