Celtic's Painful Collapse Against Lask in Champions League
Martin O’Neill called Celtic’s implosion in Austria one of the most painful nights of his long reign – worse even than losing a European final.
Celtic were 4-0 up on aggregate against Lask on Tuesday, apparently strolling into the Champions League league stage. A 3-0 first-leg cushion had been stretched by Callum McGregor’s composed finish in the 21st minute in Linz. At that point, it looked done. Professional job. Game over.
Then the roof caved in.
Lask hit five without reply, dragging the tie to extra time and then ripping it away from a shell-shocked Celtic side who never recovered their composure. A 5-1 defeat on the night, elimination in extraordinary circumstances, and a financial hit of at least £20m as they drop into the Europa League.
For O’Neill, who has taken charge of more than 300 Celtic matches, the scale of the collapse cut deeper than almost anything he has experienced at the club.
“I would say absolutely, yes,” the 74-year-old said when asked if it was among his most painful evenings. “I’d put it down before the disappointment of losing the Uefa Cup final in 2003, but it’s so, so disappointing.”
The frustration came from how avoidable it all felt. Celtic had the tie in their hands and let it slip.
“We should have been out of sight by half-time,” O’Neill said. “We scored a goal, which was great, we missed two great, great opportunities. And then we give them a lifeline just before half-time and then one just after it. And they come roaring back.
“And obviously we conceded, from our viewpoint, not good goals at all. But that’s my team and that’s my responsibility.”
The momentum swing was brutal. What had looked like a controlled European away performance turned ragged, nervous, almost panicked. Lask sensed it and drove straight at Celtic’s weaknesses, forcing extra time and then finishing the job as the visitors visibly wilted.
Questions over the depth and quality of the squad arrived almost immediately. O’Neill did not bite, but he did not hide from the scale of the occasion either.
“These are tough games. And it might only be a Champions League qualifying game, but it felt like a Champions League game,” he said. “I thought they were a fine side. But that doesn’t matter. We should have been able to have seen it through. And we didn’t do.
“Talking about the squad, that’s for another day.”
If the manager was blunt, his captain went even harder.
McGregor, who had given Celtic that apparently decisive four-goal cushion, admitted there was no defence for what followed.
“We got what we deserved,” he told Amazon Prime. “I thought we were so passive. All night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game, and when you are 3-0 up it’s psychological.”
His assessment of the first leg was just as stark.
“To be honest I didn’t think we were that good in the first leg, either. We scored at good times and kind of got away with it. You go 3-0 and you think you’ve got a real chance but when you play like that you can’t have any excuse whatsoever.
“We have to suck it up, apologise to the supporters and the club because there is no way that we should lose that game … Now you’ll see what kind of characters are in there.”
The financial cost is clear. The psychological cost might be even greater. Celtic have been here before in Europe, but rarely like this – 4-0 up, the door wide open to the Champions League, and then ripped off its hinges.
The Europa League now awaits. So does the response that will show whether this was a freak collapse or a warning about something deeper.
