Match Pictures | Matches: 2026 – 2027
Trivia
- KO: 20:00, Wednesday TNT Sports
- Champions League play-offs: Match 1 of 2
- Lask are from Austria.
- Donovan starts ahead of Ralston, with Johnston out injured, and has an excellent game.
- St Johnstone league match on 22nd postponed to accommodate for preparation for this match.
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain misses both legs of against LASK as he begins serving a three-match UEFA suspension.The situation dates back to a red card he received at Besiktas in Dec 2023.
- PreMatch: Dietmar Kuhbauer believes Celtic are a stronger side than his LASK team before the clubs’ Champions League play-off meeting.
- Thai Tims: The great pioneeering Celtic man Paul Lennon passed away. He selflessly & tiredlessly set up the Thai tims orgnaisation & schooling with the“Good Child Foundation” in Thailand, a charity that supports young children with Down’s Syndrome in Thailand. RIP
- A 66-year-old man sadly died after taking unwell during this match in the Jock Stein Stand/Celtic End last night. The man was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where he died a short time later. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. RIP
- Scotland: Belgian Pocognoli confirmed as Scotland manager.
- SFA announce withdrawal of support for embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
- Adam Montgomery has joined Livingston on loan.
- Reports:
- Held talks over potential deal for Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Balazs Toth
- Reo Hatate turned down transfer interest from Austria, Greece and US, wants to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
- Niko Sigur: reported progress on £3m move, though Hajduk Split’s European qualifier could push any deal later into the window.
- exploring a deal for Republic of Ireland international Gavin Bazunu
- Transfer window open:
- Transfers In:
- Kasper Høgh (F) from Bodø/Glimt – £11.0M (€12.9M)
- Camilo Durán from Qarabağ – £2.1M (€2.5M)
- Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo, est £5m + £2m addons + 20% profit from sell on
- Mika Baur est £4.5m + £2.5m addons from SC Paderforn (Germany)
- Transfers out:
- Daizen Maeda (F) to Ipswich Town – £9.9M (€11.7M)
- Luis Palma (F/LW) to Lech Poznań – £3.5M (€4.1M)
- Kelechi Iheanacho (F) to Bursaspor – Free
- Stephen Welsh (D) to Swansea – Undisclosed
- Josh Clarke (GK) to Partick Thistle – Undisclosed
- Andrew Kyle (D) to East Kilbride FC – Free
- Ben McPherson (D) to Partick Thistle – Free
- Ben Summers to Ayr United – Free
- Aidan Rice (GK) to Dumbarton – Loan
- Hayato Inamura (D) to Tokyo – Undisclosed
- Maik Nawrocki (D) to Lens – Undisclosed
- Kasper Schmeichel – Retired
- Filip Skorb (F) to Lecce – Undisclosed
- Paolo Bernardo loan to Gornik Zabrze
- Adam Montgomery – to Livingston on loan
Summary
“It was one of the best Celtic performances I’ve seen in many years.”
Tom English BBC journo
‘Celtic showed they should be in Champions League’
Pat Bonner
“It was unbelievable – the atmosphere, the energy. “They told me to be me, play your game, help the team fight. I think I did good today. “We did a great job, but it’s just the first step.”
Baur
“Wow.” “Two unbelieves finishes,” he adds on TNT Sports. “He’s looked a real real threat. But the thing I love the most about him is his work-rate.”
McGregor on Duran
“I thought it was a really tough evening for us. They are a really good side. We’ve got our work cut out still, but we’ve given ourselves a chance. “They scored a goal in the first minute, offside, and it took us 10-15 minutes to get into our stride. “[Camilo Duran’s] a brilliant player. We spotted him way back some time ago and tried to get him earlier than we did. “I’m not saying he was a world-class player, but that was a world-class performance, taking people on and getting back. “It was a great result for us tonight, but there is a long way to go. “Last season, for most of it, you were wondering where a goal might come from. Here, we are able to conjure goals. Keeping a clean sheet was very important for us as well.”
Martin O’Neill
Joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:
When Lask scored after just 30 seconds(!) it felt that this was just going to be one of those nights and all had to sit tight. Thankfully ruled offside, but Lask had the better of much of the early period, and it took time for Celtic to get into the match. Celtic though scored first (scorcher by Nygran) and from there on in really had the edge, albeit Lask tried keep up and scored another goal but again offside! Duran scored twice to make him a new hero, and 3-0 flatterred Celtic, but incredible night to give hope that surely this must be it to get through to the Champions League group stage. All relieved with the memories of last years’ debacle v Almaty still fresh. Some concern as it’s acknowledged that Lask can scored goals, and our defence did have weaknesses not helped by an underpowered midfield. Ball is definitely in Celtic’s court now, and very positive performance despite any concerns about the defence.
“We believe in ourselves,” he said. “Celtic have a little bit more pressure because everybody knows Celtic. “We are a small club, but still a good club. But for Celtic, it’s more pressure than for us. “But I don’t go into my meeting and tell the guys they [Celtic] have more pressure. “We have to believe in ourselves. We have 90 minutes and we have to play at the highest level. We don’t care if they have more pressure.”
Lask Manager prematch, Dietmar Kuhbauer.
Sebastian Tounekti pre match:
“To be honest, this is what I spoke about when I came to Celtic. These are the games I was looking forward to playing. It’s so nice to be around and involved in them.” [He came on late in the game]
ItaliaBhoy of KDS:
Superb result and performance. I don’t think I’ve seen a game with three goals of that quality in a long time. The new players: Duran is sensational. A tremendous player. The goals were world class but his all-round game looks so good. Hogh was great too – did a tonne of donkey work and really hassled their defence. Bauer had a lovely game – totally comfortable on the ball, always looking to play forward, glides across the pitch. Hassan – brief flashes of what he can do in his sub cameo. Looks very fast and direct. The quality of the new arrivals looked to have raised the level of the rest: that was Nygren’s best game for us IMHO. Lovely link up play and brave, positive passing. Yang put in a power of work too and looks like he’s been told to run at defences and see what happens. The only dowsides: they created a lot of chances, and played through us numerous times, so even with a three goal lead I’d say we cannot relax yet. And what a difference a solid defensive-minded midfielder would make.
BiscuitTin of KDS:
Three tremendous goals – that’s what class players bring you – amazing Donovan had a very good game although at the back their style really causes us problems – CCV first half especially They’re a team of giants as well so that ling ball must really work for them – said after 15 minutes we need to beat them with some flair and quality cause they are athletic and strong – and to be fair we did just that Gonnie be a tough away tie – no doubt about it – they’ll be flying out the traps but we have it in us to score as well over there Duran ? We have a player troops
ian1888 of KDS:
Fantastic performance. Thats the best i’ve seen Donovan play. Whole team did their bit , but the new guys stood out. Hogh was a right handful and Durans goals were exceptional. Hassan showed glimpses of whats to come , but step forward Mika Baur. Took a few minutes to get used to the pace , but he’s a cracking player. Sinisalo played well and held most things. A few signs of our new set piece coaches influence as well. All in all a very satisfying night.
Harry501 of KDS:
They’ll be dangerous at home and it wouldn’t shock me if they scored a couple as they’ll throw everything at us and aren’t a bad team… But… We’ll score too given the chance. Our weaknesses are clear, but up top we’re dangerous.. and Hassan looks very direct, he looked far more confident tonight. Every time he baited the defender you knew he had one thought on his mind to run at him. He’s one of those lightning quick players that just waits for the defender to keep backing off until he’s left himself vulnerable enough to be ran by. Can’t wait till he’s fully fit
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Martin O’Neill
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
Starting lineup
01, V. Sinisalo
63, K. Tierney, subbed for L. Scales at 76 mins
06, A. Trusty
20, C. Carter-Vickers
51, C. Donovan, subbed for A. Ralston at 83 mins
22, M. Baur, subbed for R. Hatate at 65 mins
42, C. McGregor (c), Captain
08, B. Nygren
13, Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for S. Tounekti at 76 mins
11, Durán,subbed for Haissem Hassan at 83 minutes
09, K. Høgh
Subs:
31, R. Doohan
49, J. Forrest
23, Haissem Hassan
41, R. Hatate
24, J. Kenny
14, L. McCowan
47, D. Murray
10, M. Balikwisha
19, C. Osmand
56, A. Ralston
05, L. Scales
17, S. Tounekti
Goals:
B. Nygren (26′)
C. Durán (38′, 67′)
Assists:
B. Nygren (67′)
Lask
Manager: Dietmar Kühbauer
Formation: 03 – 5 – 2
Starting lineup
01, L. Jungwirth
16, A. Andrade
43, Alemão
04, X. Mbuyamba
02, G. Bello
30, S. Horvath (c), Captain
10, R. Ljubičić
09, K. Daněk, subbed for A. Schöpf at 65 mins
20, K. Jørgensen,82′, Yellow Card at 82 mins
07, S. Adeniran
08, M. Usor, subbed for C. Lang at 73 mins
Subs:
06, M. Bogarde
29, F. Flecker
03, M. Freckleton
27, C. Lang
25, Y. Dibango
50, F. Schillinger
18, A. Schöpf
33, T. Schützenauer
05, A. Smakaj
21, M. Verhaeghe
Venue:Celtic Park
Match Officials
Referee: Sandro Schärer
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San
Assistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni
Fourth Official: Anojen Kanagasingam
Assistant VAR Official: Lukas Fähndrich
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Basic Stats
Overall possession
Celtic 64.1%
LASK 35.9%
xG
Celtic 0.8673
LASK 1.7537
Shots
Celtic 17
LASK 20
Shots on target
Celtic 7
LASK 8
Total touches inside the opposition box
Celtic 25
LASK 30
CEL
ASK
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 8
LASK 4
Aerial duels won
Celtic 10
LASK 13
Fouls committed
Celtic 6
LASK 9
Corners
Celtic 8
LASK 3
In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Celtic 17
LASK 20
Shots on target
Celtic 7
LASK 8
Shots off target
Celtic 5
LASK 7
Attempts out of box
Celtic 9
LASK 7
Hit woodwork
Celtic 1
LASK 0
One-on-one attempts
Celtic 0
LASK 1
Total offsides
Celtic 1
LASK 5
Expected
xG
Celtic 0.8673
LASK 1.7537
xG from open play
Celtic 0.6227
LASK 1.6322
xG from set play
Celtic 0.2446
LASK 0.1215
xA
Celtic 0.810734
LASK 0.797127
Distribution
Total passes
Celtic 659
LASK 358
Pass accuracy %
Celtic 88.5
LASK 81
Backward passes
Celtic 92
LASK 51
Forward passes
Celtic 195
LASK 135
Total long balls
Celtic 37
LASK 50
Successful final third passes
Celtic 114
LASK 102
Total crosses
Celtic 19
LASK 21
Defence
Total tackles
Celtic 13
LASK 17
Won tackle %
Celtic 38.5
LASK 52.9
Fouls committed
Celtic 6
LASK 9
Total yellow cards
Celtic 0
LASK 1
Total clearances
Celtic 24
LASK 20
Articles
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cm36dyyeyg5jt#Report
Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park
Celtic took a huge step towards the Champions League as two stunning Camilo Duran strikes helped carve out a commanding first-leg play-off lead against LASK.
The Colombian struck fabulous efforts either side of half-time after a wonderful finish from Bejamin Nygren set the Scottish champions on their way.
LASK did threaten throughout and had the ball in the Celtic net twice in the first-half, but both goals were ruled out for offside.
The sides meet again in the second leg next Tuesday (20:00 BST) in Linz.
On a typically raucous European night at Celtic Park, LASK stunned the home crowd within 30 seconds when they had the ball in the net.
Cameron Carter-Vickers was caught out by a ball over the top and Moses Usor raced through and dispatched a ruthless finish into the top corner, but the flag went up.
Celtic looked nervy, LASK looked confident, and moments later Carter-Vickers was outpaced by Samuel Adeniran and the American striker should have done better than to drag his strike wide of the target.
The Austrian champions were content to cede possession, sit deep and counter. Their tactics looked spot-on until they were undone by a moment of brilliance.
01:35
Figure caption,
Duran’s incredible double edges Celtic closer to Champions League
The ball dropped to Nygren at the edge of the box and the prolific Swede curled a wonderful strike into the top corner to change the dynamic of the match.
LASK thought they had an equaliser when George Bello’s pinpoint cross found Adeniran completely unmarked eight yards out and he bulleted a header past Viljami Sinisalo, but again the offside flag was up.
Both sides looked threatening and another magnificent goal doubled Celtic’s lead.
A dangerous cross aimed for Kasper Hogh was headed away, but only as far as Duran at the edge of the box and he unleashed an unstoppable rocket of a volley past Lukas Jungwirth.
Celtic upped the tempo after the break with Callum McGregor’s deflected strike crashing back off a post and, while LASK caused further moments of panic at the back, the third goal arrived courtesy of Duran.
A smart one-two with Nygren opened up a little space in the box and the Colombian slotted a lovely finish high into the net to give his side some breathing space in the tie and further endear himself to the Celtic fans following his summer arrival.
LASK hunted the goal that would lessen the scale of their task in Linz next week, but Sinisalo dealt with everything that came his way as Celtic preserved a commanding lead to take to Austria.
00:55
Figure caption,
Celtic take the lead through Nygren’s ‘magnificent’ strike
Analysis: Slick Celtic attack too hot to handle
The Champions League is all about big players producing big moments, and the goals served up by Nygren and Duran were of the very highest quality.
Duran looks to be an inspired signing. His pace, his skill, his eye for goal and appetite for work adds up to a player who looks at home on the biggest stage.
The Colombian scored five goals in the Champions League last season for Qarabag, and if Celtic can finish the job against LASK, he looks like he could be a key weapon.
Celtic looked vulnerable in transition and rode their luck at points as LASK strikers Usor and Adeniran, aided by Sascha Horvath and Robert Ljubicic breaking forward from midfield, caused problems.
Celtic’s attacking play was scintillating, though. Some of the interplay between McGregor, Mika Baur and Nygren was sublime, and with Hogh providing the focal point and the electric Duran buzzing around him, they posed problems.
While LASK picked holes in the Celtic defence on the counter attack, Colby Donovan showed up well with an energetic display, contributing to both the defensive effort and adding energy and intelligent passing to the attacking moves.
The Austrian champions showed enough to suggest this tie is not quite done, but Celtic have put themselves in a fantastic position to take their place back among Europe’s heavyweights.
Celtic find value in ‘special’ Duran – but does ambition reach further still?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn0n6k42803o
Duran’s incredible double edges Celtic closer to Champions League
By
Tom English
BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer
Published
7 hours ago
Camilo Duran’s second goal of a breathless night in Glasgow told you much about the direction of travel in this Champions League play-off – at 3-0, Celtic, barring the collapse to end all collapses, are heading back to the big league.
It also told you plenty about what they hope to do when they get there, the type of stuff they want to play, the ambition, the class, the ruthlessness.
Taking your pick of Celtic’s three terrific goals is not an easy feat, but that third one is worth some examination.
From slow start to emphatic finish it lasted just short of 30 seconds, from Viljami Sinisalo in the Celtic goal, out to Colby Donovan at right-back, back to Sinisalo and out to Auston Trusty on the left side of defence.
Trusty played a positive ball into midfield and then it started to happen.
Benjamin Nygren moved it on swiftly to Duran, who sent it back Nygren, now running free into the LASK penalty box. The visitors had been carved open. Nygren played it back to Duran, who whipped it into the top corner.
LASK are no dummies. Austrian champions. Cup winners. Martin O’Neill sang their praises in the aftermath and preached caution ahead of the second leg, as he was obliged to do. And you could see why.
Duran nets twice as Celtic beat LASK
Time moves on but O’Neill moves with it as 22-year absence nears end
Published
8 hours ago
Latest Celtic news, analysis and fan views
LASK created a bucket of chances in Glasgow on Wednesday. If O’Neill’s team had been off it on the night, they’d be in trouble in the tie right now.
They did not beat a punchbag. They have a healthy lead, but a knockout blow needs to be landed in a week, as you have to imagine it will be.
This was a heavyweight Celtic performance in attack. There is much work to do in defence, for sure, but they can do that work from a position of strength – with the whiff of an extra £40m in their nostrils.
Celtic won only 10 of their previous 50 games in European competition, so this one was to be savoured.
Duran lit up the night. Nygren scored his fourth goal in four games. Callum McGregor was exceptional in keeping Celtic on the front foot. And Donovan – the teenager in Alistair Johnston’s terrain – was hungry and effective.
“Big, big heart” said O’Neill of his young right-back. “Boundless enthusiasm.”
When the watching Sebastien Pocognoli picks his first Scotland squad, Donovan should be in it.
02:23
Figure caption,
How ‘outstanding’ Duran helped Celtic beat LASK
Why Duran signing marks return to form
A year is an eternity in football. Twelve months ago, Brendan Rodgers was the Celtic manager and O’Neill was on an endless talking tour of every parish hall in the land, promoting his latest book and reliving the good old days.
It was a time when Celtic crashed out of the Champions League to Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan; 180 minutes plus an extra 30 on top and no Celtic goal. Adam Idah started in the first leg. Shin Yamada made an appearance.
In a shoot-out of lamentable quality, Celtic missed three of their five penalties and exited the tournament. Rodgers said something about the state of the pitch. He might have fired a cryptic shot at the board for the lack of investment. It’s what he did. He was right, but, you know…Kairat Almaty!
On Wednesday, Celtic scored more goals from distance than they did from the penalty spot that night. They rode their luck early on, but then Nygren launched in a fourth goal this season (three assists) following on from 21 last term (10 assists).
It’s said of Nygren that he doesn’t do a whole lot apart from scoring and creating goals. What every manager in the world would give for such a one-dimensional creature.
00:39
Figure caption,
Duran a ‘real bargain’
The Swede set Celtic on their way and Duran’s double did the rest, a gorgeous volley – on the back of hustling and harassing of the LASK defence – and then that sumptuous team goal that rounded it off.
O’Neill said the club has a bargain in Duran and the early signs are that he was an absolute steal at somewhere between £4.5m and £6m, depending on who’s talking.
The Colombian has intelligence and guile but he’s also got the work-ethic that means every bit as much as his other qualities.
In the 72nd minute, Celtic were 3-0 ahead, and yet there the 24-year-old was darting back into defence to help out, tracking LASK men until they were hounded out of possession.
As much as his goals, his lung-busting effort to put in a shift made him a hero of the night for Celtic people. Honesty counts for a lot.
It’s easy to say that Celtic learned their lesson from a year ago and splashed the cash. They spent close to £30m and now they’re getting their reward. It’s never that simple.
Spending is something that Celtic have done a lot of over the years. Spending wisely has been their problem. Splurging money on last-minute loans who, surprisingly, turn out to be duds.
Forking out multiple millions on recent and not so recent failures – from Balikwisha to Barkas – has been the problem. The decision-making has been awful too often.
Duran represents a return to form, a reminder of the days when they found value, mostly under Ange Postecoglou.
We’re too quick to write off players and we can also be too quick to brand them as stars in waiting. You should tread carefully at all times. With Duran we’ll take the plunge – this guy looks special.
Beyond offering a physical distraction, Kasper Hogh was quiet against LASK, but he will score plenty in the weeks and months ahead. At £11m, he, too, looks like money very well spent.
‘One of the best Celtic performances in many years’
Scottish Football Podcast
19/08/26
Listen on Sounds
From O’Neill, there were wary words about assuming that this tie is over and also an unmissable reminder about the money Celtic have been spending on players.
“We’re on the plus-side in terms of money,” he insisted – and he’s right. Celtic are in net profit on transfer fees. Four in, yes, but all funded by the sales of Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda with a few million left on top.
O’Neill’s message was that more needs to be done. Right, again. Now that the Champions League loot may be nigh we will get to see the scale of Celtic’s ambition.
They need another goalkeeper – not necessarily to replace Sinisalo, but to offer proper competition – another left-back, maybe another centre-back, a top-class defensive midfielder and a more creative central midfielder.
They don’t need all of this for domestic fights because they’ve probably already got enough to win the league and a cup or two.
That’s not the testing ground. It wasn’t last year or the year before that or the year before that. For Celtic, with all the advantages they hold over most others in Scotland, the true barometer is Europe.
Their supporters don’t expect miracles, but wanting a piece of what Bodo/Glimt, Midtjylland, Freiburg, Rayo Vallecano and others had, or still have, is not unreasonable given the spending power that Celtic have.
They made a sure-footed step in the right direction on Wednesday. A stadium that has rocked to the sound of protest has now returned to deafening praise. Duran helped get them there and will be pivotal in trying to keep them there.
Celtic 3-0 LASK: Durán double and Nygren screamer put Hoops on the brink of Champions League qualification
https://www.scotzine.co/p/celtic-3-0-lask-duran-double-and
Camilo Durán’s stunning double and Benjamin Nygren’s screamer put Celtic on the brink of the Champions League league phase with a commanding 3-0 first-leg win over LASK at Celtic Park.
Scotzine
Aug 19, 2026Celtic took a major step towards the Champions League league phase with a commanding 3-0 first-leg play-off win over LASK at Celtic Park, with a goal from Benjamin Nygren and two stunning strikes from summer signing Camilo Durán.
On a typically raucous European night, the Hoops survived a couple of early scares before seizing control of the tie, and they now travel to Linz next Tuesday with one foot in the league phase, though manager Martin O’Neill stressed the job is far from done.
LASK arrived with a clear plan to cede possession, sit deep and counter, and it almost paid off inside the first minute. Cameron Carter-Vickers was caught out by a ball over the top, Moses Usor raced through and ruthlessly dispatched a finish into the top corner, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Celtic looked nervy in those opening moments and LASK looked confident; moments later Carter-Vickers was outpaced again by Samuel Adeniran, and the American striker should have done better than to drag his strike wide.
The Austrian champions were content to absorb pressure and hit on the break, and their tactics looked spot-on until they were undone by a moment of brilliance on 26 minutes. After a Kieran Tierney cross was weakly cleared, the ball dropped to Nygren at the edge of the box and the Swede adjusted his body to curl a wonderful strike into the top corner, changing the whole dynamic of the match.
LASK thought they had an equaliser soon after when George Bello’s pinpoint cross found Adeniran completely unmarked eight yards out and he bulleted a header past Viljami Sinisalo, but again the offside flag ruled the goal out.
Both sides continued to look threatening, and Celtic doubled their lead before the break with a magnificent goal. Another dangerous cross aimed for Kasper Høgh was headed away by the LASK defence, but only as far as Durán at the edge of the box, and the Colombian unleashed an unstoppable rocket of a volley past Lukas Jungwirth to send the home crowd into ecstasy.
Celtic increased the tempo after the restart with a Callum McGregor deflected strike crashing back off a post, but while LASK caused further moments of panic at the back, the third goal arrived on 67 minutes courtesy of Durán once again. A smart one-two with Nygren opened up some space in the box for the Colombian to slot home a lovely finish high into the LASK goal to give the Scottish champions some breathing space in the tie and further cement his standing with the Celtic fans following his summer arrival from Qarabağ.
LASK hunted for a consolation goal that would breath some life into their chances for the second leg in Linz next week, but Sinisalo dealt with everything that came his way as Celtic preserved a commanding lead to take to Austria.
After the match, O’Neill praised his side while acknowledging the quality of the opposition. “I thought it was a really tough evening. We’ve won 3-0 but they are a very, very fine talented team. We’ve got our work cut out still but we’ve given ourselves a chance,” he said.
On Durán, he added: “He’s a brilliant player….It was a world class performance by him.”
Celtic’s Premiership match away to St Johnstone on Saturday has been postponed to allow more preparation time ahead of the second leg. The sides meet again next Tuesday in Linz, with the winners over the two legs set to join the Champions League league-phase draw on 27 August.
Sebastian Tounekti: These are the games I came to Celtic to play in
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/august/18/tounekti–these-are-the-games-i-came-to-celtic-to-play-in/
First Team
By Daylin Docherty
Share
18 Aug 2026, 5:01 pm
Champions League nights at Paradise have a habit of bringing something extra out of both the players and the support.
That is exactly the kind of occasion Sebastian Tounekti imagined when he joined Celtic, and the winger cannot wait to sample it when LASK visit Glasgow’s East End on Wednesday for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off.
The Tunisian internationalist also believes a packed Celtic Park can help give the Hoops an important edge.
“With teams from Austria, you know they’re going to be really intense,” he said in an exclusive interview on CelticPlayer.
“They want to press and they want to play, so it’s going to be two really hard games, both home and away.
“But we have the chance on Wednesday and we have to be ready because we’re going to have amazing support behind us. I know that will be to our advantage.
“To be honest, this is what I spoke about when I came to Celtic. These are the games I was looking forward to playing. It’s so nice to be around and involved in them.”
Duran sends the Bhoys wild as Celtic deliver impressive Euro win
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/august/19/duran-sends-the-bhoys-wild-as-celtic-deliver-impressive-euro-win/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
Share
19 Aug 2026, 9:58 pm
UEFA Champions League
Play-off round, first leg
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Celtic Park, Glasgow
CELTIC… 3
(Nygren 26, Duran 37 & 66)
LASK… 0
Celtic produced an impressive European performance to defeat Austrian side, LASK in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off tie.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring, while Camilo Duran scored a double on an outstanding night for the Colombian.
The game had barely kicked off when LASK has the ball in the back of the Celtic net, with Moses Usor producing a stunning volley after latching on to a ball over the top of the defence.
But thankfully for the 60,000 Celtic supporters packed into the stadium, the goal was ruled out for offside.
However, the Austrians came close just a minute later, this time with Samuel Adeniran capitalising on another long ball, but his shot from just inside the box went wide of the target.
Celtic’s first chance came on seven minutes when Benjamin Nygren set up Camilo Curan, but his right-foot shot was saved. And two minutes later, the Colombian was fed a ball over the top by Colby Donovan, but he shot narrowly wide.
Both sides were looking dangerous going forward and LASK created another couple of opportunities that Viljami Sinisalo saved.
And on 26 minutes, Celtic got the breakthrough when Benjamin Nygren scored his fourth goal in his fourth consecutive game.
A ball into the LASK box was cleared to the edge of the area, and from inside the ‘D’, Nygren produced a stunning left-foot shot to send the ball rocketing into the roof of the net.
In the 34th minute, the offside flag again came to Celtic’s rescue after Adeniran had headed the ball into the net, and just three minutes later, it was 2-0 to Martin O’Neill’s side.
Again, it was a ball into the box that was cleared to the edge of the area, and this time it was Camilo Duran who provided the stunning finish to double Celtic’s lead.
64%
Possession
36%
17
Shots
20
7
Shots On Target
8
7
Corners
3
6
Fouls
9
0
0
Cards
1
0
Celtic started the second-half on the front foot and on 50 minutes the impressive Mika Baur had a right-foot volley from 23 yards out saved by the Lask keeper.
Six minutes later, Celtic came even closer to extending their lead when Callum McGregor’s shot from the edge of the area took a deflection off Kasper Hogh and hit the post before it was cleared.
Vil Sinisalo came to Celtic’s rescue just after the hour mark, saving from close range after Usor had made space inside the area.
Camilo Duran, who was a threat every time he got the ball, tested the keeper with two shots in quick succession, the second following some great wing play.
And on 66 minutes, the Colombian got his rewards with his second goal of the night, and an even more spectacular effort than his first goal.
The ball was fed to him on the right and he surged towards goal, playing a quick one-two with Benjamin Nygren before curling a left-foot shot into the top corner of the net to make it 3-0 to Celtic.
And on 71 minutes, he showed the other side of his game when he raced back to break up a LASK attack.
With 15 minutes remaining, Sinisalo again produced a great save, this time to deny Adeniran, while at the other end Liam Scales, on as a substitute, had a left-foot shot from the edge of the area go wide.
LASK pushed forward in the latter stages of the game, but Celtic, as they had down throughout the night, defended resolutely, and now take a 3-0 lead to Austria next week.
Celtic: Sinisalo, Donovan (Ralston 83′), Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Tierney (Scales 76′), Nygren, McGregor, Baur (Hatate 65′), Durán (Haissem Hassan 83′), Høgh, Hyunjun Yang (Tounekti 76′)
Subs: Scales, Balikwisha, McCowan, Tounekti, Osmand, Haissem Hassan, Kenny, Doohan, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Ralston
LASK: Jungwirth, Mbuyamba, Alemão, Andrade, Jørgensen, Danek (Schöpf 65′), Ljubicic, Horvath, Bello, Usor (Lang 73′), Adeniran
Subs: Freckleton, Smakaj, Bogarde, Schöpf, Verhaeghe, Dibango, Lang, Flecker, Schützenauer, Schillinger
Manager delighted to be leading at ‘half-time’ in UCL tie after win at Paradise
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/august/19/manager-delighted-to-be-leading-at–half-time–in-ucl-tie-after-win-at-paradise/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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19 Aug 2026, 10:55 pm
Celtic’s 3-0 victory over Austrian side, LASK, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off tie has put Martin O’Neill’s team in a strong position to progress to the league phase of the competition.
Not surprisingly, the Celtic manager was delighted with the performance and result, but he knows that the Hoops face a tough test next week in Austria against a LASK side who created plenty of chances over the course of the 90 minutes at Celtic Park.
A goal for Benjamin Nygren – his fourth in as many games – and a double from the outstanding Camilo Duran – had Paradise celebrating another memorable European result.
Speaking to CelticPlayer after the game, Martin O’Neill hailed his side’s showing against a ‘top-class side’, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the first minute and then created another great chance moments later.
He said: “I’m delighted that we’ve won and I thought we played some really fine stuff, but I think that this tie is far from over.
“It was a fantastic shot (first LASK ‘goal’), but he was just offside, marginally offside as well too. Then we had a scare a couple of minutes later and they could have been 2-0 up and out of sight.
“So it’s great credit to the team. We settled down, got a grip, took a deep breath and tried to get into the game, which we did.
“Nygren’s goal was fantastic and got us going, and then Duran’s two goals were simply magnificent, culminating in a performance like you wouldn’t believe. He was absolutely fantastic.
“But we’ve seen enough from LASK to know that we really are only at half-time here. We’ve got a lot to work on, there’s no question about it, but take nothing away. We scored three great goals and I’m delighted.”
Camilo Durán: Post-match reaction on CelticPlayer
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/august/19/camilo-dur-n–post-match-reaction-on-celticplayer/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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19 Aug 2026, 11:15 pm
If Camilo Durán was happy after his first Celtic goal on Saturday evening against Dundee United then he is surely on cloud nine after his performance against LASK in the UCL play-off first leg at Celtic Park tonight.
The Colombian bagged two stunning goals in the Hoops’ 3-0 win over the Austrian champions and played with the sort of determination and intensity that the Celtic Park faithful adore.
Speaking to CelticPlayer after the match, Durán reflected on a brilliant night for him and for the team.
He said: “It was a very beautiful night. It’s very good to see the stadium full of supporters and I’m glad we got the result.
“However, we still have a game to play, so we need to work hard and get the result we want.”
Celtic hero fit to grace the Champions League – and new Scotland manager will have liked what he saw
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/celtic-hero-fit-to-grace-the-champions-league-and-new-scotland-manager-will-have-liked-what-he-saw-8930836
By Alan Pattullo
Chief Football Writer
Comment
Published 19th Aug 2026, 22:36 BST
Duran double puts Celtic in Champions League driving seat
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If it’s a midweek night in mid-August in the east end of Glasgow, it must be a Champions League mega-millions play-off match. Celtic are getting used to these high-pressure occasions. Dare we say it they are getting better at them.
It couldn’t be much worse than last year’s bleak experience against Kairat, when Celtic failed to score in 180 minutes. The hosts did nearly find a way of triggering anger among fans with a sloppy start that risked leaving them with a huge mountain to climb in Austria. All’s well that ends well, although of course it is far from done and dusted at the halfway stage.
Home supporters have been becalmed of late after some very acceptable business on the transfer front. It’s back to tifos quoting Wolfe Tones’ lyrics – “We’ve roamed the world round and round,” in this case – although one “Sack the Board” banner remained conspicuous. However, Martin O’Neill continues to prove a uniting force. This was more like the old European nights at Parkhead, occasions he will remember – and indeed often inspired – from his first spell.
Celtic’s Camilo Duran celebrates with Kasper Hogh after scoring his second to make it 3-0 over LASK in the Champions League play-off first leg. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Celtic’s Camilo Duran celebrates with Kasper Hogh after scoring his second to make it 3-0 over LASK in the Champions League play-off first leg. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group
Strikes from Benjamin Nygren and the exceptional Camilo Duran were so similar they might have been the same goal. Fortunately for Celtic they weren’t. A 2-0 lead at the interval is so much better than 1-0. As for 3-0 – Duran added another after 67 minutes – well, is it now game over? Although the visitors looked scunnered at the end, there was enough about LASK to suggest otherwise.
There is still work to do in Linz. A fourth goal might have finished them off but although the hosts came close – Callum McGregor also hit the post with a deflected effort earlier – Celtic will be more than satisfied with a three-goal cushion, particularly given the chaotic opening moments.
Chaotic start to crazy, unstructured match
A tight, but correct, offside call saw an opening goal for LASK from Moses Usor ruled out after just 33 seconds, with Parkhead still half hidden in pyro smoke from the away fans. Usor’s strike partner Samuel Adeniran then wasted a golden opportunity to give the Austrians the lead around 90 seconds later.
What a crazy, absorbingly unstructured match this was. Celtic were in fact 2-0 up by half time when they really ought to have been trailing inside two minutes. Usor thought he had given the visitors the lead with a rocket following a long ball from George Bello after just 33 seconds. He stared disbelievingly at the linesman’s flag, which was proved spot on.
Celtic were so very nearly speared again moments later by an unexceptional ball from the back that gave Adeniran the chance to test Cameron Carter-Vickers for pace. It was no contest. He drew away from his compatriot but his composure failed him when one-on-one with Viljami Sinisalo and he rolled weakly past the far post.
Celtic eventually settled and were 1-0 up after 26 minutes when a poor headed clearance from LASK fell at the feet of Nygren on the edge of the box. The Swede steadied himself before hooking a left-footed shot into the top right-hand corner of Lukas Jungwirth’s goal. Anything Nygren can do, Duran can at the very least replicate. The Colombian was in the right place on the edge of the box at the right time to pounce on another attempted clearing header after Kieran Tierney’s cross from the left. Bang! 2-0. Duran found the same top corner as Nygren with a left-foot volley.
Camilo Duran scores to make it 2-0 for Celtic against LASK in the Champions League play-off first leg. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Camilo Duran scores to make it 2-0 for Celtic against LASK in the Champions League play-off first leg. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group
Duo missed – but not as much as feared
Although Arne Engels’ name was still included in the match day squad on the back of the match programme, it was a case of wishful thinking. The midfielder has yet to make his debut for West Ham United but he’s very much theirs – a snip at £22 million some might say. O’Neill struggled to hide his disappointment on the eve of this first leg as he again sought to explain the reasoning in letting such an important player leave on the cusp of a tie that can make or break a season.
No blame can be levelled at Engels. He saw what happened to a teammate, Alistair Johnston, after he was pitched into the rough and tumble of a league game while attracting interest from elsewhere. Result? A leg muscle injury means he isn’t moving anywhere anytime soon, which also robbed Celtic of his qualities for one of the most important games of the season. He – and Engels – were missed, just not as much as many feared.
Colby Donovan came in for Johnston in what was another coming-of-age experience for the 19-year-old, with LASK’s ruled-out opening goal having come down his side. He recovered to give further notice of his gifts and undoubted potential. New Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli took his seat in the stand next to SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell and will have liked what he saw. Although only in the door at Hampden he will already know this is a problem position.
Donovan was one of several Celtic successes, with Duran looking increasingly likely to establish himself as a huge favourite at Parkhead.
Mika Baur also looked assured on his full debut. Industrious and tidy on the ball, he might not be a like-for-like replacement for Engels but he looks another bright addition to the ranks. He was given a huge ovation when replaced by Reo Hatate on the hour mark, with the Japanese midfielder – who has struggled for game time under O’Neill – also loudly welcomed onto the pitch.
Someone else was acclaimed: the perhaps unsung Sinisalo. O’Neill has mentioned wanting to bring in another goalkeeper, but the Finn might save Celtic a fortune. A stop from Usor after 60 minutes, which would have cut the deficit to just one, was a vital intervention. There was no question about the identity of the true hero of the night. Duran came up trumps again shortly afterwards with such a potentially priceless goal. The Colombian exchanged passes with Nygren after another flowing move down the right stemming from Sinisalo before curling into the top corner from just inside the box. One thing’s for sure, he is fit to grace the Champions League if Celtic can get there.