LASK 5-1 Celtic: Hoops Suffer Stunning Champions League Collapse to Lose 5-4 on Aggregate

KUALA LUMPUR, AUGUST 2026— Celtic suffered one of the most dramatic European collapses in their history after losing 5-1 after extra time to LASK, surrendering a four-goal aggregate advantage to crash out of the UEFA Champions League play-offs 5-4 overall.

Martin O’Neill’s side travelled to Austria holding a commanding 3-0 advantage from the first leg at Celtic Park, where Benjamin Nygren scored once and Camilo Durán struck twice. Celtic appeared to have virtually sealed their place in the league phase when captain Callum McGregor scored in the 21st minute of the return fixture.

At that point, the Scottish champions were 4-0 ahead on aggregate.

What followed, however, was an extraordinary LASK fightback.

Celtic entered the second leg knowing they already possessed a substantial cushion, and the situation improved further when McGregor opened the scoring.

His low strike took a deflection off Andrés Andrade before beating LASK goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth in the 21st minute. The goal appeared to leave LASK needing five without reply to eliminate Celtic.

But rather than killing the tie, the breakthrough proved to be Celtic’s final moment of control.

LASK began to increase the pressure and were rewarded in the 32nd minute following a costly defensive mistake.

A poor back pass from Nygren presented Moses Usor with an opportunity, and the LASK forward calmly finished beyond Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo to make it 1-1 on the night.

The goal gave the Austrian champions renewed belief before half-time.

Celtic still held a commanding three-goal aggregate advantage at the interval, but the balance of the contest changed rapidly after the restart.

Just three minutes into the second half, Robert Ljubičić fired a low effort from the edge of the penalty area past Sinisalo to put LASK 2-1 ahead on the night.

Ten minutes later, Samuel Adeniran produced one of the goals of the tie.

The striker collected the ball outside the penalty area before curling a superb long-range effort beyond Sinisalo in the 58th minute. Suddenly, Celtic’s aggregate lead had been reduced to just one goal.

The atmosphere inside the Raiffeisen Arena changed completely as LASK pushed forward searching for the goal that would force extra time.

Celtic appeared to be holding on as the match entered its final moments.

However, disaster struck in the 90th minute.

Sinisalo initially produced an excellent save to deny João Victor Tornich, but Florian Flecker reacted fastest to the rebound and headed the ball into the net.

LASK were now 4-1 ahead on the night and level at 4-4 on aggregate, forcing the tie into extra time.

The hosts had completed the comeback from four goals down overall, but they were not finished.

LASK continued to dominate in extra time and finally moved ahead on aggregate for the first time through Adeniran.

In the 109th minute, the striker produced another low effort from distance to beat Sinisalo and make it 5-1, giving LASK a 5-4 aggregate lead.

Adeniran then had an opportunity to score a hat-trick when Reo Hatate conceded a penalty for a foul on Krystof Danek.

Sinisalo saved the spot kick, briefly offering Celtic another lifeline, but the Scottish side could not find the goal required to save the tie.

The final whistle confirmed a historic result for LASK and a devastating European exit for Celtic.

The victory secured LASK’s first-ever appearance in the Champions League league phase.

UEFA also noted that the 5-1 triumph was the Austrian club’s first victory in their previous 12 UEFA competition matches, making the comeback even more remarkable.

For Celtic, the contrast could hardly have been greater.

They began the night with a 3-0 advantage, extended that lead to four goals overall, and yet still failed to qualify.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill admitted his team should have put the tie beyond LASK before the Austrian side began their comeback.

He acknowledged Celtic had opportunities to extend their advantage but allowed their opponents back into the contest through mistakes either side of half-time.

O’Neill took responsibility for the result and described the defeat as a major disappointment, stressing that dropping into the Europa League provided little consolation immediately after such a painful loss.

Captain Callum McGregor was equally critical of Celtic’s performance.

Despite scoring the opening goal, McGregor admitted his team had been too passive and said they appeared afraid to take control of the match when they had the opportunity.

He also apologised to the club’s supporters, acknowledging there could be no excuses after surrendering such a substantial advantage.

The result now leaves Celtic facing questions over their mentality and defensive resilience as they attempt to recover from one of their most damaging European defeats.

Celtic will miss the Champions League league phase for the second consecutive season.

Last season, the Scottish club were eliminated at the same qualifying stage after losing on penalties to Kairat Almaty.

This time, however, the manner of the elimination is likely to prove considerably more painful given Celtic’s commanding position before LASK’s comeback.

Celtic Drop Into Europa League

While their Champions League campaign is over, Celtic’s European season will continue.

The Scottish champions will now enter the UEFA Europa League league phase, with their focus turning toward regrouping after the disappointment in Austria.

For LASK, meanwhile, the night will go down among the greatest in the club’s European history.

Trailing 4-0 on aggregate after McGregor’s goal, the Austrian champions scored five unanswered goals through Usor, Ljubičić, Flecker and an Adeniran double to complete a comeback few could have imagined.

Final score: LASK 5-1 Celtic after extra time
Aggregate: LASK 5-4 Celtic
LASK scorers: Moses Usor, Robert Ljubičić, Samuel Adeniran (2), Florian Flecker
Celtic scorer: Callum McGregor