Celtic suffered one of the most extraordinary European collapses in their history as LASK overturned a four-goal deficit to send Martin O’Neill’s side crashing out of the Champions League.
After cruising to a 3-0 first-leg victory in Glasgow last week, Celtic appeared to have one foot firmly in the competition’s lucrative league phase. Callum McGregor’s early goal stretched their aggregate lead to four and seemingly putting the tie beyond doubt.
Instead, everything unravelled. The hosts produced an astonishing comeback, scoring five unanswered goals across the remainder of the match and in extra-time to seal a 5-4 aggregate victory. Celtic will now drop into the Europa League, while veteran manager O’Neill is left to contemplate a monumental collapse that could cost the club millions in lost revenue.
The evening initially appeared to be following the same script. Celtic had already done the hard work at home, but LASK had shown enough attacking threat in the first meeting to suggest the tie was not entirely dead.
Kasper Hogh came close to giving the hosts the perfect start when he narrowly missed connecting with a dangerous low cross from Yang. The striker then had another opportunity shortly afterwards, although his effort lacked the power to trouble Celtic.
At the other end, Celtic were given an early warning when a deflected LASK effort struck the post before McGregor then appeared to deliver the decisive blow. The captain found the net via a deflection to put his side four goals ahead in the tie, sending the travelling support wild.
But the contest was about to take a remarkable turn. Benjamin Nygren’s misplaced back-pass gifted Moses Usor with the opportunity LASK needed, and he made no mistake. Suddenly, the home side had belief and Celtic began to look increasingly uncomfortable.
Robert Ljubicic struck after the interval to reduce the deficit further before Samuel Adeniran added another, leaving Celtic clinging to their advantage. The momentum had completely shifted.
LASK continued to attack with Celtic pinned back deep inside their own half, and the influential Adeniran came agonisingly close when his effort rattled the underside of the crossbar.
Celtic were now hanging on and they could not withstand the pressure. Florian Flecker struck in the 90th minute to force extra-time, completing a stunning turnaround and leaving Celtic facing an unthinkable 30 minutes.
The nightmare continued. Adeniran scored again in extra time to put LASK ahead on aggregate, completing his outstanding contribution. Substitute Reo Hatate then conceded a penalty, although visiting keeper Viljami Sinisalo came up trumps by making a big save.
That miss briefly offered Celtic a lifeline. It ultimately mattered little as LASK held on to complete one of the most remarkable comebacks in the competition's recent history, while Celtic were left to pick through the wreckage of a tie that had appeared to be comfortably under control. A capitulation of epic proportions.
A place in the Champions League had promised a significant financial boost and the opportunity to strengthen the squad from a position of strength. Instead, Celtic must now regroup and prepare for Europe’s second-tier competition.
We give each player a mark out of ten for their display on a demoralising night in Austria.
9. RW: Camilo Duran (3/10)
Nowhere near as influential as he was at Celtic Park last week. Deployed in a right wing-back role for the majority of the second half. It was surprising he was given the full 120 minutes as he never looked like carving out an opportunity. | SNS Group
10. LW: Yang Hyun-jun (6/10)
Looks a man transformed this season. Very slick and helped to set the tempo early doors. Sublime pass with the outside of his boot to set up a chance for Baur. Clever build up play on the left-hand side of the hosts' box before teeing up McGregor's opener. Faded as an attacking threat when LASK started to ramp up the pressure but was still Celtic's sharpest tool in the final third. | Getty Images
11. CF: Kasper Hogh (4/10)
Despite a promising start to his Celtic career, this was the Danes' poorest showing thus far. Worked hard but to little avail. Opened up his body and tried to pass a chance of his own low into the far corner but lacked conviction and keeper saved. Nothing seemed to stick for him. Struggled to get on the ball, particularly in the second half. Picked up a knock in extra-time and was an empty jersey thereafter. | Getty Images
12. Celtic Subs
Sebastian Tounekti 3 - Introduced for Yang, but offered little. Reo Hatate 2 - Tasked with helping to stem the tide of LASK attacks, but was unable to do so. Conceded the penalty in extra-time. Liam Scales 2 - Brought on to shore things up at the back. Luke McCowan 1 - Occupying a more advanced role, but struggled to make an impact. Took too many touches to give possession away in lead up to Adeniran's goal in extra-time. Dane Murray 3 - Filled in at right-back late on. First involvement was to win a header and showed good aggression. Anthony Ralston 1 - Utilised as the additional sub in extra-time. | SNS Group