Celtic secured a 3-0 victory against LASK in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Celtic Park, taking a significant step toward returning to the tournament’s league phase. Summer signing Camilo Durán starred with a stunning double, while Benjamin Nygren also netted a superb finish to reward manager Martin O’Neill’s side in Glasgow.
Celtic Take Commanding First-Leg Lead Over LASK
The Scottish champions entered the tie seeking to put behind them a streak of failing in their previous five Champions League qualifying campaigns, which included a play-off round exit 12 months prior against Kazakhstan club Kairat Almaty. Despite the commanding scoreline, manager Martin O’Neill urged caution after the match, telling Skysports that the game is absolutely in the balance yet.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor echoed that sentiment, noting that the team is only halfway there.
Early Scares and Nygren’s Opener
The open encounter could easily have taken a different trajectory in the opening moments. Just seconds after kick-off, LASK’s Moses Usor fired into the net, only for the effort to be ruled out by the offside flag. LASK had a second goal disallowed later in the half when Adeniran headed into the bottom corner from an offside position.
Celtic capitalized on their survival when Nygren opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Following a cross from Kieran Tierney, Nygren readjusted his body to curl a first-time effort from 20 yards into the top right corner. The Swedish player continued a strong run of form that includes four goals and four assists in as many games.
Durán Doubles Up to Seal Victory
Durán then doubled Celtic’s advantage 12 minutes later with a nearly identical strike. After LASK cleared another cross from Tierney, the ball fell to Durán outside the area, and the Colombian smashed a first-time volley into the same top corner.
Durán added his second and Celtic’s third midway through the second half. After receiving a flick from fellow summer arrival Kasper Høgh and exchanging passes with Nygren, Durán stroked the ball into the top corner from inside the box. O’Neill lauded Durán’s all-around contribution after the final whistle, highlighting not only the forward’s terrific goals but also his defensive work rate in tracking back to assist full-back Colby Donovan.
Context and Squad Changes
The convincing home performance arrived during a positive start to the season where Celtic have won their first three matches across all competitions. However, the club has had to contend with key departures, including forward Daizen Maeda joining Ipswich Town and Arne Engels signing for West Ham United.
Those departures cleared the way for new faces to make an impact. Alongside Durán, German midfielder Mika Baur made his Celtic Park debut and delivered an impressive performance, while goalkeeper Sinisalo maintained a clean sheet amidst LASK’s attacking threats. With an estimated £40m on the line should Celtic successfully progress through the second leg in Austria, the club is aiming to secure its place among Europe’s elite after spending last season in the UEFA Europa League.
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