Europa League knockout phase play-off first leg highlights: Nottingham Forest and Stuttgart start with away wins

Nottingham Forest prospered at Fenerbahçe, and Stuttgart left Celtic holding a lead as visiting teams had the better of the UEFA Europa League knockout phase play-off openers.

We round up the first-leg action.

Fenerbahçe 0-3 Nottingham Forest

Vítor Pereira's first match in charge ended in an impressive Forest victory in Istanbul. The Premier League side attacked from the off, and a deflected Murillo effort put them ahead before Morgan Gibbs-White's deft flick set up Igor Jesus to head his seventh of the campaign. The in-form striker returned the compliment for his captain early in the second period, Gibbs-White recovering from a slight slip to steer the ball between the legs of the advancing Ederson.

Celtic 1-4 Stuttgart

The German Cup holders ensured that Celtic boss Martin O'Neill's 1,000th senior game as a manager ended in disappointment. Bilal El Khannouss put Stuttgart ahead after 15 minutes, but Benjamin Nygren rounded Alexander Nübel to level for Scotland's champions. The unmarked El Khannouss headed Stuttgart back in front before Jamie Leweling's low finish and Tiago Tomás' late fourth left Sebastian Hoeness' side firmly in command ahead of the second leg.

Lille 0-1 Crvena Zvezda

Franklin Tebo Uchenna's first-half effort made the difference as Crvena Zvezda came out on top. In a cagey match with few clear openings, the Nigerian defender was in the right place to connect with Jay Enem's corner, finishing from close range just before the interval. Marko Arnautović might have added another after coming on as a substitute but he was denied by Berke Özer in the Lille goal. However, the Serbian side were not to be denied a first-ever win in France.

Panathinaikos 2-2 Viktoria Plzeň

A late Tomáš Ladra finish earned Viktoria Plzeň a draw in Athens and maintained their unbeaten record in this season's Europa League. The only side not to lose in the league phase, Plzeň took the lead when Denis Višinský lashed in from the edge of the box. New arrival Andreas Tetteh levelled with a fantastic header and then smashed in off the far post to put Panathinaikos ahead. However, Ladra had the last word, beating Alban Lafont with a dipping shot on 80 minutes.

Brann 0-1 Bologna

There were no goals when these sides met in Italy on Matchday 4, but Santiago Castro broke the deadlock in the ninth minute in Bergen, beating Mathias Dyngeland from a tight angle. Brann battled hard, and might have replied in the first half through Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson, but it was a supremely competent defensive performance that denied the hosts any further major openings and earned Vincenzo Italiano's Bologna a fourth straight European away win.

GNK Dinamo 1-3 Genk

The Croatian side have it all to do in the return leg in Belgium after two Zakaria El Ouahdi goals sent Genk home with a solid lead. Bryan Heynen headed them in front from Konstantinos Karetsas' corner, before El Ouahdi collected a blocked cross, beat a defender and finished into the corner to make it 2-0 after just 21 minutes. Dion Beljo struck from close range to reduce the deficit before the break, but El Ouahdi cut inside past his man and slotted in late on to seal victory.

PAOK 1-2 Celta

Iago Aspas scored one and laid on another as the Spanish side took a first-leg advantage in Greece. The 38-year-old forward expertly guided in his 219th goal for Celta after running clear on 34 minutes, and then cut the ball back for Williot Swedberg to slide in a second before the break. However, all is not lost for Răzvan Lucescu's PAOK, Alexander Jeremejeff volleying in brilliantly from captain Andrija Živković's fine cross late on to give them hope.

Ludogorets 2-1 Ferencváros

Ferencváros failed to clear their lines on 23 minutes, inviting Kwadwo Duah to clip in the opener, but soon made amends, Bamidele Yusuf holding off a challenge to level from an acute angle. Fradi looked the more dangerous side, but a splendid long-range finish from Spanish right-back Son restored Ludogorets' lead on 67 minutes. However, having beaten the Bulgarian champions 3-1 in Budapest in the league phase, Robbie Keane's men know there is still plenty to play for.