Celtic 3–0 LASK: Duran's Double Secures Champions League Advantage
Celtic have one hand on a place in the Champions League league phase after dismantling LASK 3–0 in a ruthless European performance at Celtic Park – but Martin O’Neill is having none of the talk that the tie is done.
The scoreline is emphatic. The message from the manager is not.
LASK’s early shock, Celtic’s early warning
Inside the first minute, the whole stadium felt the jolt. LASK sliced through, found the net and wheeled away believing they had the perfect start. The celebrations didn’t last. The flag went up, the goal was chalked off, and Celtic had been handed a sharp reminder of the threat in front of them before many fans had even taken their seats.
LASK did not look like a side overawed by the occasion. They played on the front foot, their pace up top exactly what O’Neill had warned his players about. For 10, maybe 15 minutes, Celtic were second best, struggling to get their rhythm against a slick, energetic Austrian side.
O’Neill later called it “a really tough evening” despite the scoreline, and those opening exchanges explained why.
Nygren settles Celtic nerves
Once Celtic finally settled, the mood changed. The passes began to stick, the press tightened, and the home side started to pin LASK back.
Benjamin Nygren provided the breakthrough, and it was a moment of real quality. Picking up the ball outside the box, he stepped into space and unleashed a superb strike that flew beyond the keeper. One clean hit, one huge release of tension around the ground.
The goal didn’t just put Celtic in front. It flipped the entire tone of the night. LASK, so bright early on, suddenly had to deal with a Celtic side that smelled blood.
Duran takes over
From there, Camilo Duran stole the show.
Shortly before half-time, he produced the kind of finish that lives in European highlight reels. The ball dropped for him and he met it with a stunning volley, the technique as outrageous as the timing. Celtic Park erupted; this was the sort of goal that makes a tie feel like it’s turning decisively.
Chris Sutton, watching on duty, was among those left purring over the strike. It was that good.
After the break, Duran went back for more. With Celtic now in full control and LASK forced to chase the game, he found his second of the night, calmly applying the finish to cap a commanding team display and give O’Neill’s side a three-goal cushion to take to Austria.
Three goals, no reply, and the kind of European scoreline that usually kills a contest.
O’Neill refuses to relax
O’Neill, though, is refusing to let anyone at the club think the job is done.
“I thought it was a really tough evening for us,” he told TNT Sports. “We won 3–0, and they’re a really good side.
“I said to the players beforehand that they’ve got plenty of pace up front as well too, and they’re a very, very, very fine, talented team.
“And we still have our work cut out, but we’ve given ourselves a chance, let me put it that way.
“They scored a goal just in the first minute chalked off for offside or whatever it was, and they started so brightly it was untrue, and it took us 10, 15 minutes to get in our stride.”
That offside scare, that early spell under pressure – those are the details O’Neill is clinging to as he tries to keep feet firmly on the ground.
Ninety minutes from the big stage
For the supporters, the equation is simple. Celtic travel to Austria with a 3–0 lead and a clear sightline to the Champions League proper. Ninety minutes stand between them and the stage they believe is their natural home.
For the players, the message is just as clear: one more disciplined, mature performance is required. LASK showed enough in Glasgow to prove they can hurt Celtic if allowed. The tie is heavily tilted in O’Neill’s favour, but not closed.
The roar at full-time told its own story. Celtic are almost there. The question now is whether they can finish the job with the same authority they showed when it mattered most under the lights at Celtic Park.
