Celtic Park was barely settled into its seats when LASK thought they had pulled off the ultimate smash-and-grab opener. The Austrian champions found the net within moments of kick-off on August 19, 2026, only for the linesman’s flag to cut the celebration short. Offside.
Rather than rattling the hosts, the disallowed goal seemed to wake them up. Celtic responded by taking firm control of proceedings, scoring twice before half-time to take a 2-0 lead in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off round.
A tale of two halves (of one half)
A second LASK effort was also chalked off during the first half. Two goals disallowed in 45 minutes is the kind of stat line that would test any team’s composure.
Celtic broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, then doubled their advantage shortly after. By the time the referee blew for half-time, the scoreline was 2-0.
Martin O’Neill’s side looked every bit a team with unfinished business on the European stage. Last season, Celtic were eliminated at this exact point in the qualification pathway, falling to Kairat Almaty.
First meeting, contrasting legacies
This tie marked the first-ever competitive encounter between Celtic and LASK. Celtic’s European story stretches back decades, anchored by the 1967 European Cup triumph in Lisbon that made them the first British club to lift the continent’s biggest prize. LASK’s recent continental resume is considerably thinner, though their domestic title win in Austria earned them a seat at the table this summer.
O’Neill, who knows a thing or two about Champions League campaigns from his previous stint managing Celtic in the early 2000s, set his team up to absorb early pressure before unleashing them on the counter.
What the second leg looks like now
The return fixture is scheduled for later in August 2026, with LASK hosting in Austria. A two-goal deficit means LASK need to win by three goals to advance outright, or by two to force extra time.
For Celtic, the prize at the end of this two-legged tie is a place in the Champions League group stage, a destination the club hasn’t reached since their penalty elimination the previous season.
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