A stunning double from summer signing Camilo Durán helped Celtic secure a commanding lead against Lask in their Champions League playoff, as Martin O’Neill’s side emerged victorious with a 3-0 first-leg win over their Austrian opponents in Glasgow.

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Exceptional Performance from Durán

O’Neill hailed Durán’s performance as ‘really exceptional,’ praising the Colombian forward’s goals as ‘terrific’ and his play as ‘great.’ Durán’s double goalscoring display saw him net two identical volleys into the top corner, with the only difference being that he struck his volley first time on the second occasion. The former Qarabag forward’s third Celtic goal midway through the second half was a result of a clever exchange of passes with Benjamin Nygren, before he stroked the ball into the top corner from inside the box.

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Nygren opened the scoring in the 26th minute, readingjust his body to volley into the top corner from 20 yards after a weak clearance from Kieran Tierney’s cross. The Swede’s superb finish sent the home fans into raptures, and the visitors had two goals disallowed for offside in the early stages of the match.

The visitors created chances throughout the open encounter, with Moses Usor sending a brilliant volley into the top corner inside 30 seconds, only to be flagged offside. Samuel Adeniran scuffed a shot wide when clean through, and Lask forward soon forced a save from Viljami Sinisalo with Celtic looking very open in central midfield without Arne Engels.

Durán threatened twice from half-chances before Nygren opened the scoring, and the Celtic captain, Callum McGregor, fired a deflected 20-yard shot off the inside of a post as chances kept coming in the second half. Usor squandered two excellent opportunities, and Reo Hatate came on to huge acclaim in what could be one of his final Celtic Park appearances.

O’Neill praised Durán’s running back and helping full-backs, saying, ‘He was exceptional. Really exceptional. He’s been fantastic for us since he’s arrived at the football club.’ The manager also praised the £4.5m signing, saying, ‘Whatever we paid for Durán, I think he has paid his ticket by now. I don’t think it was an awful lot of money when you consider some of the fees that they’re talking about for the Premier League.’

The victory puts Celtic firmly in the driving seat before the second leg in Linz next Tuesday, easing nerves among home fans after more transfer tribulations. Celtic went out at this stage last year, drawing a blank against Kairat Almaty after failing to sign a proven striker, but the arrival of Durán and Kasper Høgh has solved that problem.

The German midfielder Mika Baur was handed a start in his Celtic Park debut, necessitated by Engels’ departure to West Ham at the weekend. The 22-year-old’s inclusion was a response to the anxiety among Celtic fans, who have seen their team fail in their last five Champions League qualifying campaigns.

The Celtic fans were in full voice in the buildup, but there were early worries as Usor sent a brilliant volley into the top corner inside 30 seconds, only to be flagged offside. Adeniran scuffed a shot wide when clean through, and Lask forward soon forced a save from Sinisalo with Celtic looking very open in central midfield without Engels.