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Celtic suffer Euro defeat to exit Champions League
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- Celtic suffer Euro defeat to exit Champions League
Celtic suffer Euro defeat to exit Champions League
UEFA Champions LeaguePlay-off round, second legOberosterreich Arena, Linz, Austria Tuesday, August 25, 2026
LASK…5 (Usor 32, Ljubicic 48, Adeniran 58 & 109, Flecker 90)
CELTIC…1 (McGregor 21)
Lask win 5-4 after extra-time
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It was a night of extreme disappointment for Celtic as they exited the UEFA Champions League following a 5-1 extra-time defeat to LASK in Austria.
Martin O'Neill's side took a 3-0 lead into the game following the first leg at Celtic Park last week, and even extended that aggregate lead when Callum McGregor scored after 21 minutes.
But LASK responded, equalising before the break and then netting three goals in the second-half to take the game into extra-time before they scored their fifth on the night to progress to the league phase of the competition.
Celtic started the game in a positive manner and almost took the lead after just four minutes.
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Good work down the left flank from Yang saw the winger slide a ball inside which Mika Baur flicked on, and Kasper Høgh was inches away from connecting with the ball.
And in the 15th minute, the Danish striker came close again, this time after he latched on to a loose ball and surged towards goal before he hit a shot on target, but it was saved by the LASK goalkeeper.
The home side came into the game and created a couple of good chances. First, a headed flick-on from a corner saw Mbuyamba almost tap the ball home from close-range, but the defender was unable to make contact with the ball at the back post.
Then Viljami Sinisalo was called upon to touch the ball on to his post from a long-range deflected shot.
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However, any Celtic nerves were soon put to rest when Callum McGregor gave the Hoops the lead in the 21st minute, following good play down the left from Yang.
He slotted the ball into the path of his captain who fired a low left-foot shot that nestled in the back of the LASK net with the aid of a deflection.
It put Celtic 1-0 ahead on the night and 4-0 up on aggregate in the tie, and seemingly in a strong position to go and seal a place in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
The Hoops were in control of the game, but a slack backpass from Benjamin Nygren in the 32nd minute laid the ball into the path of Moses Usor, who slid the ball beyond Sinisalo to make it 1-1.
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However, two minutes into the second half, LASK took the lead when Ljubicic fired a powerful shot past Sinisalo, reducing Celtic's aggregate lead to 4-2. And it was soon reduced further on 57 minutes when Samuel Adeniran 's left foot curler from outside the box found the back of the net to make it 3-1 to LASK on the night.
Then in the 70th minute, LASK almost scored a fourth goal. A cutback into the path of Adeniran saw his shot come back off the underside of the bar and was cleared away by Kieran Tierney before any attacker could get to it.
The Hoops were hanging on but conceded a goal on the 90th minute to make it 4-1 on the night through Florian Flocker to take the tie into extra-time.
And LASK took the lead in the tie early in the second half of extra-time with a long-range shot from Adeniran beating Sinisalo to give his side a 5-1 lead on the night, putting them 5-4 ahead on aggregate.
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And even though Viljami Sinisalo produced a superb penalty save to deny Adeniran a hat-trick and keep Celtic in the tie, the Hoops weren't able to get a goal which might have taken the game to extra-time.
LASK now progress to the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, while Celtic will drop into the UEFA Europa League.
