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Celtic 3-0 LASK
Celtic beat LASK 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Celtic Park in Glasgow, with Benjamin Nygren opening the scoring in the 26th minute and Camilo Duran doubling the lead before adding a second-half finish.
“Celtic 3-0 LASK: Camilo Duran nets stunning double as Hoops edge towards Champions League return”
Sky Sports said Duran netted a double as the Hoops edged towards a Champions League return, while Flashscore described Celtic Park as “rocking at kick off” before Moses Usor’s early volley was ruled offside.
LiveScore reported that Celtic secured a comfortable 3-0 cushion in the play-off first leg, and it said Duran arrived from Qarabag and led the match statistics for both shots (six) and completed dribbles (six).
Martin O’Neill told TNT Sports that “I thought it was a really tough evening for us,” after LASK had a goal in the first minute ruled offside and it took Celtic “10-15 minutes to get into our stride.”
O’Neill and McGregor
O’Neill praised Duran’s impact and said, “It was a great result for us tonight, but there is a long way to go,” while also stressing the importance of keeping a clean sheet.
Callum McGregor echoed the need to avoid complacency, telling reporters: “We are trying to get the club in the Champions League. Only halfway there but a fantastic performance.”
LiveScore added that Celtic now travel to Austria looking to book their league phase spot, with the return leg in Linz after LASK generated an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.75 from 20 attempts compared to the hosts’ 0.87.
The Scotsman’s preview framed the tie as Celtic’s bid to reach the UEFA Champions League league phase after last year’s penalty shootout exit against Kairat Almaty, and it set the first-leg kickoff at 8pm on Thursday, August 19, 2026 at Celtic Park.
Return leg stakes
The return leg is set for Linz, where Celtic will aim to finish the job after taking a 3-0 lead, with LiveScore noting that goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo and his backline face another stern examination.
“The sides meet again in Linz on Tuesday.”
Sky Sports said the sides meet again in Linz on Tuesday, and it listed the key moments as LASK having two goals disallowed while Celtic’s scorers included Nygren and Duran.
The Scotsman preview said Celtic are targeting the 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition, and it described the tie as Celtic’s first ever competitive meeting with LASK.
In the build-up, LiveScore also pointed to Celtic’s prior penalty shootout heartbreak against Kairat Almaty last season, while the Scotsman noted that Celtic fell at the same hurdle last year after drawing both legs 0-0 against Kairat Almaty.
