Celtic vs Linz ASK; UEFA Champions League Qualifying Play-Offs Round
Celtic vs Linz ASK. UEFA Champions League Qualifying Play-Offs Round.
Celtic Park.
Celtic 3-0 LASK: Camilo Duran nets stunning double as Hoops edge towards Champions League return
Report as Celtic beat LASK 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off; Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring and Camilo Duran netted a double; the visitors had two goals disallowed; the sides meet again on Tuesday
Wednesday 19 August 2026 22:39, UK
Celtic took a huge step towards a return to the Champions League with stunning goals from Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Duran.
After crashing out in the play-off round 12 months ago, it was almost a nightmare start when Moses Usor fired into the Celtic's net just seconds after kick-off. But the Hoops were saved by the offside flag.
They survived another scare before Nygren set the Hoops on their way, when he curled Kieran Tierney's ball into the top corner.
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Samuel Adeniran also denied by the offside flag before Duran smashed Tierney's cross into the net for his first Parkhead goal.
It was an impressive strike, but there was better to come from the Colombian striker as he sidefooted into the far corner after a one-two with the club's other big summer arrival, Kasper Hogh.
The pair, who scored 10 Champions League goals between them last season, proving their worth in green and white early in the season.
Three up, but far from over. The Austrian champions carried plenty of threat as they try to reach Europe's top-tier competition for the first time.
The sides meet again in Linz on Tuesday. Can Martin O'Neill's side finish the job?
The key moments from Celtic Park
1: LASK SCORE EARLY BUT IT'S DISALLOWED! Usor fires into the top right corner, but the celebrations are cut short by the offside flag.
3: ANOTHER BIG CHANCE! Adeniran gets away from Carter-Vickers, races through on goal, but drags his shot wide.
9: FIRST CHANCE FOR CELTIC! Duran turns and hits it first time, but Jungwirth gets down to make the stop.
27: GOAL CELTIC! Tierney's ball falls into the path of Nygren, who curls his first-time effort into the top right corner.
35: LASK SCORE BUT IT'S DISALLOWED AGAIN! Adeniran heads into the bottom corner, but he's offside.
38: GOAL CELTIC! LASK clear Tierney's cross, but it falls to Duran outside the area and he smashes it into the net.
51: SAVE! Baur's ambitious volley from outside the area is straight at Jungwirth.
56: OFF THE POST! McGregor shoots from range and it takes a deflection off Hogh before hitting the woodwork.
62: BIG SAVE! Usor is denied by Sinisalo from point-blank range! Another chance squandered by LASK.
67: GOAL CELTIC! Another stunner! A sweeping counterattack ends with Duran combining with Nygren before guiding the ball into the net.
76: SAVE! Adeniran shoots from a tight angle. Sinisalo makes another save to keep the clean sheet intact.
Thank the board?
Sky Sports News' Adam Binnie was watching at Celtic Park:
What a difference a year makes.
Twelve months on from shock elimination at this stage to Kazakh club Kairat Almaty, the Scottish champions already have one foot in the league phase after the first leg.
Whisper it quietly, but the much-maligned Celtic board are due some credit.
Summer signing Camilo Duran stole the show with two outstanding goals, and fellow new recruit Mika Baur was arguably Player of the Match on his home debut. Their latest arrival Hasseim Hassan looked exciting off the bench while Kasper Hogh - though not on the scoresheet - displayed strengths in his link-up play.
The club have reinvested more than £30m on the aforementioned acquisitions and are still in the black - that's good business.
With more signings expected to land before the window shuts on September 3, and an estimated £40m to land in the club account should they progress, Celtic look in strikingly different shape than they did in Kazakhstan last August.
Curiously, there were no chants of 'sack the board' on Wednesday evening.
McGregor: We're only halfway there
Celtic captain Callum McGregor speaking to TNT Sports:
"We are trying to get the club in the Champions League. Only halfway there but fantastic performance. We have to get finish it off next week.
On Duran: "Two unbelievable finishes, we have seen it in pre-season. He is a real threat. The thing I love about him is he is always chasing back.
"The group is good and doing well. We are always trying to work and get better. The confidence grows; it's only halfway.
Is the club going in the right direction? "It's our job to create the atmosphere and bring the happiness.
"It was important we try to strengthen. It's small steps and we have a really tough game next week."
What the result means and Celtic's next fixtures...
Celtic take a 3-0 lead to Austria for next week's second leg. Is the Champions League return on?
