Celtic 3–0 LASK: Duran's Double Leads Hoops to Champions League Brink
Celtic have one hand on a place in the Champions League league phase after dismantling LASK 3–0 at a crackling Celtic Park – but Martin O’Neill walked off the pitch talking about danger, not destiny.
Final Score: Celtic 3 - 0 LASK
Early shock, instant reprieve
Inside the first minute, the tie threatened to tilt the wrong way. LASK burst forward, found the net and wheeled away believing they had landed a dream start in Glasgow. The celebrations didn’t last. The effort was ruled out for offside and the home crowd exhaled as sharply as the visitors protested.
That scare set the tone. LASK came flying out, full of pace and intent, and Celtic needed a good 10 to 15 minutes to find their rhythm. O’Neill had warned his players about exactly that.
“I thought it was a really tough evening for us. Yeah. Really tough evening,” he told TNT Sports. “We won 3-0, and they're a really good side… they've got plenty of pace up front… a very, very, very fine, talented team.”
Once Celtic settled, the tie changed complexion.
Nygren’s spark
The breakthrough came from Benjamin Nygren, and it was worth the wait. Picking up the ball outside the box, he stepped into space and unleashed a brilliant strike that ripped past the goalkeeper and ignited the stadium.
That goal calmed Celtic, rattled LASK and shifted the entire mood of the night. Passes started to stick. The press grew sharper. The Austrian side, so bold in the opening exchanges, suddenly looked less sure of themselves.
The pressure began to build. It would soon find its perfect outlet.
Duran steals the show
Camilo Duran then took control of the narrative.
Shortly before half-time, he produced the moment of the night: a stunning volley that left LASK’s defence frozen and Celtic Park roaring. Technique, timing, confidence – it was all there, and it sent the Hoops down the tunnel with a 2–0 lead and a surge of belief.
Chris Sutton was among those left purring over the finish, and he was not alone. It felt like a goal that belonged on any European stage.
Duran wasn’t finished. After the break, with LASK chasing a lifeline and leaving gaps, he struck again, adding his second and Celtic’s third to cap a ruthless, clinical display. At 3–0, the tie suddenly looked lopsided on the scoreboard, if not yet in O’Neill’s mind.
O’Neill keeps feet on the ground
For the manager, the margin is a cushion, not a guarantee.
“And we still have our work cut out, but we've given ourselves a chance, let me put it that way,” O’Neill said, quick to drag the conversation back to the bigger picture.
He pointed again to that first-minute scare and LASK’s bright start as a warning sign ahead of next week’s return leg in Austria. The visitors, he insisted, showed enough in Glasgow to prove they can hurt Celtic if the intensity drops.
“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,” he recalled. “It took us 10, 15 minutes to get in our stride.”
Ninety minutes from the “proper” stage
Celtic now travel to Austria with a commanding three-goal lead and the knowledge they are potentially just 90 minutes away from the Champions League proper. Nygren has his statement goal. Duran has his European coming-out party. The supporters have a scoreline to dream on.
O’Neill, though, has exactly what he wanted: a big advantage, and a reason to demand more.
