Celtic Implodes in Austria, Blows a 4-0 Aggregate Lead to Crash Out of Champions League Against LASK

Four goals up on aggregate. Half an hour played. And it still wasn't enough. What happened to Celtic in Linz wasn't a simple defeat, it was the kind of collapse that's hard to explain even after watching the replay several times.

The Scottish club came into the second leg of the playoff tie against LASK with a huge cushion after a 3-0 win in the first leg, built on a brace from Colombian forward Camilo Duran, a recent arrival at the club. And as if that wasn't enough, captain Callum McGregor made it 4-0 on aggregate in the 21st minute of the away leg in Austria. At that point, anyone would have taken Celtic's spot in the Champions League group stage for granted.

What followed was an avalanche. LASK, a club that had never before reached a Champions League group stage, answered with five unanswered goals against Celtic, with the fifth, the one that sealed everything, arriving deep into stoppage time. The final score: LASK 5, Celtic 1 on the night, and 5-4 on aggregate in the Austrians' favor.

Manager Martin O'Neill watched his side fall out of the playoff round despite having the tie seemingly wrapped up for half an hour. McGregor himself offered no excuses after the match.

We were far too passive. There's no excuse for it.Callum McGregor

Second straight year with the same story

The hardest part for Celtic fans is that they've been here before. Exactly a year ago, the club failed to score in either leg against Kairat Almaty and was eliminated on penalties in Kazakhstan after two scoreless draws. That exit had already caused plenty of unrest among supporters, especially since the club had chosen not to strengthen the squad in the summer transfer window despite sitting on significant financial reserves.

That crisis had serious consequences behind the scenes: manager Brendan Rodgers left his post weeks later, and longtime chairman Peter Lawwell departed in December, citing threats made by fans against his family. After a brief spell with Wilfried Nancy in charge, it was the return of O'Neill, a historic figure at the club, that helped calm things down.

With O'Neill in charge, Celtic ran down Heart of Midlothian on the final day of the Scottish league season, in a dramatic finish also marked by a controversial refereeing decision. That title opened the door to this Champions League playoff round, which began a month after Hearts themselves were also eliminated in an earlier round, thrashed 4-0 by Sturm Graz in Austria.

Celtic, seeded in the playoff draw, only needed to get past a side with little European experience like LASK to rejoin the elite in Thursday's group stage draw in Monaco. Instead, they'll now await their place in Friday's Europa League draw, the continent's second-tier competition.