Celtic deficiencies laid bare on another night of Champions League pain
August 26, 2026 08:52
Celtic surrendered a four-goal aggregate advantage to LASK and were eliminated from the Champions League, dropping into the Europa League. Captain Callum McGregor, who scored the team's opener (a deflected strike), publicly criticised team-mates after the game, calling them "passive" and "scared" and adding "now we'll see what people are made of."
LASK had shown threat in both legs, creating chances in Glasgow and early on in Linz. A loose pass from Benjamin Nygren directly preceded LASK's equaliser on the night. Manager Brendan O'Neill has taken responsibility for the exit.
KEY CONTEXT
- McGregor has been a near ever-present for Celtic for close to a decade and is widely regarded as the club's best player over that period; he has experienced many of the club's European highs and lows.