Celtic coughs up 4-goal lead in humiliating Champions League exit in qualifying playoffs

Celtic suffered a devastating defeat in the Champions League qualifying playoffs on Tuesday, ending their hopes of competing in the prestigious European competition. The Scottish champions led 4-0 on aggregate score after just half an hour of the second leg, held in Austria, but LASK managed to score five unanswered goals, including the decisive one in extra time, to secure a 5-4 victory on aggregate score.

Celtic boss Martin O'Neill's team failed to capitalize on their strong start, resulting in a humiliating 5-4 loss on aggregate score, marking the second consecutive year they have failed to progress beyond this stage. Captain Callum McGregor admitted that the team was "far too passive" and expressed no excuses for the loss. The defeat is particularly disappointing for Celtic supporters, as the club won the European Cup in 1967, a feat not achieved by any English team before that time.

Last year, Celtic also suffered a heartbreak in the same round, being eliminated on penalties after a scoreless draw in Kazakhstan. The club's recent history is marred by financial mismanagement and internal strife, with former manager Brendan Rodgers leaving due to a lack of spending in the offseason and chairman Peter Lawwell stepping down following threats to his family.

Interim manager Martin O'Neill, who has since been confirmed as the head coach, helped steer Celtic to a dramatic last-day Scottish league title win, but their Champions League hopes were extinguished after a poor performance against LASK. The loss leaves Celtic facing the second-tier Europa League draw on Friday.