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

Celtic suffered a humiliating Champions League exit in the qualifying playoffs this Tuesday. The Scottish title holders led 4-0 on aggregate score after just half an hour of the second leg in Austria, but LASK ultimately overcame the deficit with five unanswered goals, including a decisive one in extra time during the 5-1 win. Celtic captain Callum McGregor admitted the team was "too passive" in defeat, and expressed remorse for not securing the Champions League entry.

The loss marks two consecutive years of Celtic failing to make it to the lucrative biggest stage of European club soccer, despite being the 1967 European Cup champions. Last year, Celtic was eliminated by Kairat Almaty in a penalty shootout after being held scoreless in both legs. The exit seemed reckless due to the club's decision to not invest in the offseason squad, potentially costing tens of millions of euros in UEFA prize money.

This incident, coupled with the departure of coach Brendan Rodgers and long-serving chairman Peter Lawwell, strained relations within the club. However, tensions were eventually eased under interim coach Martin O'Neill, who led Celtic to a last-day title win, securing their spot in the Champions League qualifying playoffs. Celtic was seeded to advance after Hearts, the Scottish champion, was eliminated earlier in the round.

Despite a strong first-leg win last week with goals from new signing Camilo Durán and Kasper Høgh, LASK's dominant display on Tuesday saw Celtic lose 5-4 on aggregate, forcing them into the second-tier Europa League draw on Friday.