Petrov provides Celtic with two-goal cushion
Celtic 3 VfB Stuttgart 1
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Your support makes all the difference.Celtic took a large step towards the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup as they overcame the loss of an early goal to tear apart Stuttgart at Parkhead last night.
The trip to Germany next Thursday will still be a daunting test, but the Bundesliga side will be without Marcelo Bordon, whose red card hampered his team for more than 70 minutes of this pulsating fourth-round first leg.
Paul Lambert, the Celtic midfielder who played for Borussia Dortmund, warned against over-confidence. "It does give us a chance to go through now," he said. "But I've played in Germany and I know their mentality and it is far from over. We have given ourselves a chance, though, and that is all we can ask for."
It was one Celtic might not have expected to have as they went into the match with their manager, Martin O'Neill, banished to the stand, serving a one-match ban, and deprived of the strikers Henrik Larsson and John Hartson. However, Stuttgart, lying third in the Bundesliga, lost their discipline after only 16 minutes when Bordon cut down Stilian Petrov as the Celtic midfielder ran through on goal, earning a red card.
Nevertheless, the visitors broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, when the veteran Krassimir Balakov played in a cross for Kevin Kuranyi to head down past goalkeeper Robert Douglas from 14 yards.
The loss of an away goal could have rattled Celtic but within 10 minutes they had drawn level. Shaun Maloney's cross was headed out to Jackie McNamara, whose return ball was chested down by Petrov for Paul Lambert to thrash a right-foot shot into the net.
Then, in injury time, Celtic forged ahead. Alan Thompson delivered a tricky cross which brought an error from Steffen Dangelmayr, who kicked it straight to Shaun Maloney for the teenager to drill the ball past the goalkeeper, Timo Hildebrand.
Celtic knew they they needed a greater comfort zone and intense pressure in the second half finally saw Petrov earn his reward in the 68th minute. The Bulgarian profited from a intelligent pass from Lambert and chased it to the byline, before clubbing a right-foot shot beyond Hildebrand from an acute angle.
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; McNamara, Baldé (Laursen, 87), Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Smith, 69); Sutton, Maloney. Substitutes not used: Marshall (gk), Sylla, Fernandez, Healy, Guppy.
VfB Stuttgart (4-3-1-2): Hildebrand; Hinkel, Meira, Bordon, Gerber; Meissner (Aundio, 75), Soldo, Hleb (Carnell, 51); Balakov; Kuranyi, Amanatidis (Dangelmayr, 19). Substitutes not used: Ernst (gk), Tiffert, Seitz, Ganea.
Referee: P Collina (Italy).
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