The odds seemed stacked against Celtic before the game with Larsson and Magnus Hedman out injured, John Hartson suspended and manager Martin O’Neill banished to the stands.

They then fell a goal down to Kevin Kuranyi’s header despite Stuttgart being reduced to 10 men after 16 minutes when Marcelo Bordon was sent off for a professional foul.

But Paul Lambert rallied his troops with a wonder-strike before Maloney, with the unenviable task of filling in for the magnificent Larsson, showed the awareness of the Swede to seize on a massive mistake by substitute Steffen Dangelmayr to turn the game.

Stilian Petrov gave Celtic a cushion with a great second-half finish, but it was Maloney who truly came of age on another special European night at Parkhead.

He was unfazed by the pressure and some early challenges from the over-physical Stuttgart players.

Robert Douglas, rushed back from injury to deputise for Hedman, was relieved when Ioannis Amanatidis sliced his shot well wide early on after Krassimir Balakov had headed Bordon’s ball into his path.

Bobo Balde took the goal kicks and Douglas should have been beaten in the ninth minute.

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Lambert lost out to Amanatidis just in his own half and it was two against one for the Germans, but Alexander Hleb’s pass was too strong for his team-mate with Neil Lennon and Douglas both struggling to make up the ground.

Douglas was again desperately scurrying across goal when Kuranyi fired wide from 20 yards and then Amanatidis screwed his shot wide.

The former Dundee goalkeeper did have to make a comfortable save in the 15th minute when Bordon got on the end of Balakov’s corner from eight yards.

But Stuttgart suffered a major blow a minute later when Bordon was shown a straight red card for bringing down Petrov, who was clean away.

Visiting coach Felix Magath then made a tactical change in the 19th minute, substituting Amanatidis for Dangelmayr, and it was to prove a fatal error.

Referee Pierluigi Collina had his cards out again in the 25th minute, but it was a yellow one this time for Fernando Meira for bringing down Petrov again.

But Stuttgart stunned the home crowd into silence two minutes later when the 10 men took the lead.

Balakov swung an inviting cross into the box and Kuranyi got ahead of Joos Valgaeren and headed past Douglas from 10 yards.

The goalkeeper would have been struggling to get to the ball even if he was match-fit but Celtic went in search of an immediate reply.

Didier Agathe fed the overlapping Jackie McNamara and Petrov volleyed his cross wide from 12 yards.

The winger then picked out Chris Sutton on the edge of the box with an early cross, but the striker’s header bounced safely wide of the post.

Agathe did well again in the 34th minute to launch a raid down the right flank before crossing to the far post, but Valgaeren could not get on the end of Alan Thompson’s header.

Silvio Meissner was also shown a yellow card moments later for another terrible challenge on Maloney and in the 36th minute Celtic got back on level terms in spectacular fashion.

Maloney chested Thompson’s cross into the path of Lambert and he struck a sweet first-time shot past goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand and into the bottom corner.

The game turned in the Hoops favour when Maloney capitalised on an error by Dangelmayr to slide the ball home for 2-1.

Celtic wore the 10 men down in the second half and Hildebrand saved from Maloney before Meira made a vital block tackle on Agathe.

But the pressure told in the 67th minute when Petrov somehow squeezed a right-foot shot between Hildebrand and his post from close to the byline after Lambert’s pass.

The crowd were expectant when Maloney prepared to take a 30-yard free-kick after his recent potent form, but Hildebrand was alert to make the save by his post.

But the Scottish champions still go to Germany next week in a healthy position and now a possible “Battle of Britain” with Liverpool in round five looks a lot closer.