Celtic’s LASK Collapse Exposes Champions League Weaknesses

Published: 07 August 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Celtic’s latest European disappointment has done more than end another Champions League campaign. The extraordinary collapse against LASK has exposed weaknesses in the Scottish champions’ squad, mentality and recruitment strategy, leaving captain Callum McGregor openly questioning the character of his team-mates and manager Martin O’Neill facing one of the most painful nights of his long career.

Celtic travelled to Austria with what appeared to be an almost unassailable advantage. A 3-0 victory over LASK in Glasgow had put O’Neill’s side firmly in control of their Champions League play-off tie. When McGregor’s deflected effort put Celtic 1-0 ahead on the night, their aggregate advantage stretched to four goals.

Instead of completing the job, Celtic suffered a remarkable collapse. LASK scored repeatedly, forcing the tie into extra time before completing a 5-1 victory on the night and a 5-4 aggregate triumph. The defeat sent Celtic out of the Champions League and revived memories of several previous European failures.

For McGregor, the latest setback appeared to cross a line.

The Celtic captain described his team-mates as “passive” and “scared” during a performance in which the Scottish side appeared increasingly unable to cope with LASK’s pressure. His criticism was striking precisely because McGregor is rarely theatrical in his public comments.

After years of European disappointment, the midfielder has become one of the most experienced figures in Celtic’s dressing room. He has also been present for many of the club’s most painful continental defeats, making his anger particularly significant.

The collapse against LASK was not simply a case of a few unfortunate moments. Celtic appeared to lose control of the match as soon as LASK began applying sustained physical and psychological pressure.

LASK had already created opportunities in Glasgow despite losing 3-0. In Austria, those warning signs returned immediately. Celtic’s early goal appeared to settle the tie, but the hosts refused to surrender.

Once LASK pulled a goal back, Celtic’s confidence began to erode. Defensive mistakes followed, passes became increasingly inaccurate and the visitors struggled to establish possession or create a meaningful attacking response.

By the second half, the pressure had become overwhelming.

The final statistics illustrated the extent of Celtic’s problems. LASK finished with 40 attempts at goal, including 33 before the later stages of the match, while Celtic failed to register a shot on target during the second half of normal time and extra time. The Austrian side eventually completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in Celtic’s European history.

The defensive problems were especially damaging.

Auston Trusty was among those criticised during the collapse, while injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kasper Høgh left O’Neill with increasingly limited options. By the later stages, Celtic were relying on a makeshift defensive unit as LASK repeatedly attacked.

O’Neill attempted to change the course of the match by making five substitutions within a short period, but none of the changes could halt the momentum. Celtic had become a team attempting merely to survive rather than one capable of controlling a tie they had dominated only days earlier.

That distinction is important because the first leg had suggested Celtic were moving in the opposite direction.

At Celtic Park, Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring before Camilo Durán struck twice to give O’Neill’s team a commanding 3-0 victory. Durán had impressed throughout the match with his movement, finishing and willingness to work defensively.

That performance created optimism that Celtic might finally have addressed some of the attacking shortcomings that had contributed to previous European failures.

Instead, the second leg revealed that major problems remained elsewhere.

Celtic’s midfield lacked the physical authority to withstand LASK once the Austrian side gained confidence. Their defensive structure deteriorated under pressure, while the team appeared unable to slow the match down or regain control.

That has inevitably placed the spotlight on recruitment.

Celtic have made several additions during the summer, including goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, defender Amar Dedić, midfielders Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur, and forward Bazoumana Touré. Yet the defeat has strengthened the argument that the squad still lacks key qualities required for Champions League football.

The most obvious need is physicality in midfield.

McGregor remains technically excellent and enormously influential, but Celtic need players around him capable of resisting pressure, winning duels and maintaining composure when opponents turn a match into a physical contest.

The club also appears short of depth at left-back behind Kieran Tierney. Those deficiencies became particularly obvious once injuries and substitutions forced O’Neill to field an improvised back four during the collapse.

The issue therefore extends beyond one disastrous evening.

Celtic have repeatedly experienced European exits in which a promising position has disappeared under pressure. Their history includes defeats and eliminations involving Kairat Almaty, Midtjylland, Ferencváros, Cluj and AEK Athens, alongside heavy Champions League defeats against clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

The LASK collapse now belongs in that unwanted collection.

The financial implications are also substantial. Progress in the Champions League represents a major source of revenue for Celtic, and elimination at this stage means the club loses the opportunity to benefit from the tournament’s lucrative league phase. The defeat has therefore created pressure not only around sporting ambition but also around the club’s transfer strategy.

For O’Neill, the defeat was particularly painful because of what had happened earlier in the summer.

The veteran manager returned to Celtic last season and helped guide the club to another Scottish Premiership title and the Scottish Cup. He was subsequently confirmed as permanent manager on a one-year contract with an option for another year.

The domestic success revived belief in O’Neill, but European competition was always going to provide a more difficult test.

He admitted that the LASK defeat ranked among the worst moments of his football career. His willingness to accept responsibility is unlikely to shield him completely from questions, however, because Celtic’s problems extend beyond the manager.

Recruitment decisions, squad depth and the club’s broader approach to European competition will all come under scrutiny.

McGregor’s comments could prove even more consequential.

A captain publicly describing his team as passive and frightened is not simply a criticism of tactical execution. It is an indictment of mentality. For Celtic, a club whose domestic dominance has created enormous expectations, the question is whether the squad possesses enough resilience to compete when European opponents refuse to be intimidated.

That is the central lesson from Austria.

Celtic did not lose because LASK were technically superior in every department. They lost because, once the momentum shifted, Celtic could not stop the game from becoming the kind of contest LASK wanted.

The Austrian side grew in belief. Celtic became increasingly anxious. Every misplaced pass intensified the pressure, every defensive error encouraged the hosts and every missed opportunity to regain control made the eventual outcome more likely.

What had looked like a routine progression became a psychological collapse.

The challenge now is to ensure that the defeat does not become another recurring chapter in Celtic’s European story.

The club still has domestic objectives and a squad capable of winning major honours in Scotland. The arrivals of Durán and Høgh have strengthened the attack, while Nygren has emerged as another important attacking player. But European football demands a different level of depth, physical resilience and composure.

Celtic’s supporters will therefore expect the club to respond in the transfer market before the window closes. The need for a stronger midfield presence and additional defensive cover is no longer merely theoretical.

The LASK defeat has made it impossible to ignore.

For McGregor, the immediate task is to ensure his furious assessment becomes a catalyst rather than another post-match lament. For O’Neill, it is about rebuilding confidence after a result he described as one of his most painful nights in football. And for Celtic’s hierarchy, the defeat raises a much larger question: whether the club is genuinely prepared to invest in the squad required to compete consistently at the highest European level.

Celtic had a four-goal aggregate advantage and still failed to progress.

That fact will remain the defining feature of this campaign. But the more important issue is what the club does next. If Celtic respond by strengthening the areas exposed in Austria, the collapse may eventually become a painful lesson. If the same weaknesses remain, LASK could become simply the latest name on a growing list of European nights that exposed the gap between Celtic’s domestic dominance and their continental ambitions.

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