Champions League Heartbreak for Celtic

Celtic’s Champions League dreams were shattered in Austria as they threw away a four-goal lead to crash out of the competition. The Scottish champions looked set for a comfortable passage into the league stage after Callum McGregor put them 4-0 up on aggregate against Lask with a 21st-minute deflected strike.

Source: i.guim.co.uk

However, the Hoops’ lead began to unravel in the second half as Lask staged an incredible comeback. Moses Usor pounced on a loose pass from Benjamin Nygren to level on the night in the 32nd minute, and the Austrians continued to push forward.

A Dramatic Turnaround

The tie began to spiral out of Celtic’s control early in the second half as Robert Ljubicic and Samuel Adeniran netted from outside the box. Martin O’Neill’s side looked like they would cling on, but Florian Flecker nodded home from close range in stoppage-time to spark an additional 30 minutes.

Celtic had disappeared as an attacking force at half-time, and Adeniran delivered the knockout blow that sends them into the Europa League. The Hoops exited on penalties at the playoff stage last season after failing to sign a proven striker before drawing a blank against Kairat Almaty.

Now, fans will question the decision to sell Arne Engels just ahead of the first leg, as Celtic lost control in midfield in Austria. The quality of Celtic’s finishing had been the difference in Glasgow, but Lask created chances throughout and the second leg started in similar fashion.

Celtic looked to extend their lead, but the home side had exerted some pressure just before McGregor’s goal. The Austrian champions pulled a goal back three minutes after the restart when Usor outmuscled Auston Trusty and worked the ball inside for Ljubicic to drive home from 20 yards.

Celtic endured some nervy moments before they conceded again in the 58th minute when Adeniran curled a wonderful first-time strike into the top corner from 25 yards. The Hoops were on the ropes, with several shots flying past Viljami Sinisalo’s goal before the Finn pulled off a great stop from Sascha Horvath.

João Victor Tornich headed inches wide from the resulting corner, and Adeniran fired off the underside of the bar. Celtic defended with four centre-backs as Liam Scales and Dane Murray came on to join Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers. With Luke McCowan, Reo Hatate, and Sebastian Tounekti also off the bench, Carter-Vickers had to struggle on with cramp, and Celtic could not hold out.

Sinisalo made a great stop from a Tornich header, but Flecker converted the rebound. Anthony Ralston replaced Carter-Vickers as extra-time allowed O’Neill to make a further change, and Celtic appeared to stem the tide. However, Adeniran fired home from 25 yards with five minutes left after dispossessing McCowan, and Celtic could not threaten after Sinisalo’s penalty save denied the striker his hat-trick.