LASK end Celtic’s Champions League hopes with astonishing comeback

The Scottish champions, Celtic, suffered a devastating 5-4 defeat against Austrian side LASK in a Champions League play-off match on Tuesday, effectively ending their hopes of advancing to the group stage for another season. Despite being holding a commanding 3-0 advantage from the first leg, Celtic's hopes were dashed in Linz, Austria.

The match began promisingly for Celtic, with captain Callum McGregor scoring a 21st-minute opener, which had fans already singing about a party in the Champions League. However, LASK equalised in the 32nd minute, and the Scottish side's celebrations quickly died down.

Martin O'Neill's team continued to struggle as LASK equalized again 32 minutes later, followed by goals from Robert Ljubicic in the 48th minute and Samuel Adeniran in the 58th. In a dramatic turn of events, substitute Florian Flecker scored a late equalizer in the 90th minute after a VAR check, sending the game into extra time. Adeniran then added his second goal in the 109th minute, securing a 5-4 victory for LASK in the aggregate.

Celtic's manager, Martin O'Neill, faced harsh criticism from his players after the match. Captain Callum McGregor addressed the media, stating, "We got what we deserved. We were passive all night. We looked scared to go and win the game." He added, "We have to suck it up. We apologise to our supporters and the club because there's no way we should lose that game."