In the open air of the Raiffeisen Arena, with bedlam all around, Celtic endured one of the darkest nights in their European history. The Scottish champions somehow conspired to implode in a second half, blowing a massive four-goal aggregate lead against LASK, eventually losing 5-4 after extra time in the Champions League play-offs. This isn’t just any loss either; it’s especially brutal considering they went out at this same stage last year on penalties.
Nobody’s Hiding From This One
When the final whistle blew, there was nowhere to hide, and Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was absolutely frank in the spotlight. “I’m responsible for this one,” he said. “Without a doubt.” Talk about owning it. O’Neill admits this was “majorly disappointing,” even comparing it to the 2003 Uefa Cup final loss, though he stressed this was a qualifying game they “should have been able to get through.” He made it clear: “We are a million miles from the finished article. That’s absolutely true.” It’s hard to argue with him after seeing that kind of collapse. They were four goals up, for crying out loud, and showed “little sign of a response” when LASK started roaring back.
The Heavy Price of Failure
This isn’t O’Neill’s first rodeo, but he wasn’t even in charge for that Kairat Almaty defeat last year, which triggered Brendan Rodgers’ second departure. O’Neill had actually helped steady Celtic’s ship after Rodgers left and again after the Wilfried Nancy saga, guiding them to a league title and a Scottish Cup. This season had started off strong until the roof caved in over in Austria. The aftermath is huge for Celtic. The qualification for the Champions League is “major, it’s major in every aspect,” O’Neill emphasized, both “financially” and for “prestige.” Without that hefty windfall, the transfer window just got a lot tougher. O’Neill himself noted, “if you could qualify for the Champions League there would be players wanting to come on that basis. That’s not going to be the case.” Ouch.
Players Aren’t Making Excuses
Captain Callum McGregor didn’t mince words either, telling Amazon Prime they “got what we deserved.” He pulled no punches, stating, “We were passive all night. We looked scared to go and win the game.” McGregor even admitted they “didn’t think we were that good in the first leg either” and “scored at good times and got away with it.” He owned it for the squad too: “We have to suck it up. We apologise to our supporters and the club because there’s no way we should lose that game. It’s as much on the players as everyone else. You can’t look for excuses elsewhere.” That kind of honesty is brutal, but necessary. “When you go 1-0 up in the game and it still doesn’t settle you, you can’t have any excuse and that’s on us,” McGregor said, throwing down the gauntlet. Now, we’ll see “what people are made of” as they have to pick themselves up and navigate the transfer window without that Champions League money. What a moment for this team.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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