How Did Celtic Blow a 4-0 Aggregate Lead?
There are collapses in football that are difficult to explain.
Then there is what happened to Celtic.
The Scottish champions travelled to Austria with a 3-0 lead from the first leg against LASK. They had every reason to believe they were on their way back into the Champions League league phase.
Then, just 21 minutes into the second leg, Callum McGregor scored again.
Celtic were 4-0 ahead on aggregate.
At that point, LASK needed five goals without reply to turn the tie around.
Somehow, they did it. 😳
From complete control to complete collapse
Celtic’s advantage should have given them an enormous psychological advantage.
Instead, the opposite happened.
LASK began to grow into the match and Celtic started to retreat. Moses Usor pulled one back in the 32nd minute, before Robert Ljubičić equalised on the night early in the second half.
Suddenly, Celtic were under pressure.
Samuel Adeniran then produced another superb finish to make it 3-1 on the night and suddenly the aggregate score was 4-3.
The game had completely changed.
Celtic were no longer controlling the tie. They were trying to survive it.
And that is where the biggest questions will come from.
Celtic stopped playing to win
The most damning assessment came from their own captain.
McGregor admitted afterwards that Celtic had been too passive and, remarkably, said the players looked “scared to go and win the game.” He also accepted that the team deserved the defeat.
That is perhaps the biggest explanation for how a team can lose a tie from such an extraordinary position.
Celtic had the advantage. They had the experience. They had the opportunity to slow the game down, control possession and force LASK to take risks.
Instead, LASK were allowed to build momentum.
And once that momentum arrived, Celtic simply couldn’t stop it.
Then came the 90th-minute nightmare
With Celtic desperately clinging to their aggregate advantage, LASK struck again.
Florian Flecker headed home in the 90th minute to make it 4-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.
Extra time.
The unthinkable was now possible.
And just minutes into the second period of extra time, Adeniran struck again.
5-1. 5-4 on aggregate.
LASK had completed one of the most extraordinary comebacks in Champions League qualifying history.
Celtic were out.
A devastating financial blow
This wasn’t just a sporting disappointment.
Missing out on the Champions League also means Celtic lose out on a huge amount of potential revenue. Reports estimate the financial damage at at least £20m, making the collapse even more painful for the club.
Instead of preparing for Europe’s biggest club competition, Celtic will now have to settle for another season in the Europa League.
They will discover their Europa League opponents on Friday.
One of the most painful nights in Celtic’s history
For Celtic supporters, this wasn’t simply a defeat.
It was a collapse that will be remembered for years.
To be 4-0 ahead with only around a third of the tie left to play and still somehow get eliminated is almost impossible to comprehend.
Martin O’Neill admitted afterwards that the night ranks among his most painful experiences as Celtic manager.
And for the players and supporters who travelled to Austria believing they were about to celebrate Champions League qualification, the final whistle must have felt surreal.
Celtic had the Champions League in their hands.
They let it slip.
And now they have to pick themselves up and go again in the Europa League.
For a club of Celtic’s stature, this is a night that simply cannot be brushed aside.
