Celtic’s Champions League aspirations have been extinguished in dramatic fashion, with the Scottish club eliminated from the play-off round after surrendering a four-goal aggregate advantage to lose 5-4 on aggregate against LASK.
The stunning reversal represents one of the most disappointing moments in the club’s recent European history, with manager Martin O’Neill taking the full weight of the result on his shoulders. “I’m responsible for this one,” O’Neill stated, making clear he would not deflect blame following the elimination.
O’Neill Takes Full Accountability
O’Neill’s acceptance of responsibility came as Celtic faced difficult questions about how such a commanding position had slipped away. The manager’s willingness to shoulder the burden stood in sharp contrast to the dramatic nature of the collapse itself.
Team’s Performance Under Scrutiny
The performance has drawn criticism from those closely connected to the club’s recent past. With captain Callum McGregor leading the side on the pitch, Celtic failed to maintain their advantage, allowing LASK to storm back into the tie. Former Celtic captain Scott Brown, now working as a pundit, weighed in on the disappointing display, as did former manager Neil Lennon and ex-midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, both offering their assessments of what went wrong during the crucial European fixture.
The elimination represents a significant setback for Celtic in their European campaign, denying them the opportunity to progress further in the competition’s play-off stage.