“Benjamin Nygren broke the deadlock with a left-footed finish to give Celtic a deserved lead, capitalising on sustained pressure that had included two corner kicks in the preceding minutes.”
Pivotal“Camilo Durán doubled Celtic's advantage before half-time to put the tie firmly in the home side's hands, converting after Andres Andrade had tested the LASK goalkeeper moments earlier.”
Pivotal“Camilo Durán completed his brace just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, finishing off a move assisted by Nygren to make it 3-0 and effectively end LASK's hopes of a comeback across the tie.”
Pivotal“Kasper Jørgensen picked up a yellow card for a foul, a minor blemish on an otherwise disciplined Celtic performance across the evening.”
Celtic
LASK Linz
Celtic were dominant and clinical at Celtic Park, putting together a commanding first-leg performance that leaves LASK Linz with an enormous mountain to climb in the second leg. The home side controlled possession at 64% and created the clearer picture through their movement and pressing, with Benjamin Nygren opening the scoring on 26 minutes before Camilo Durán added a second just before the break to make it 2-0 at half-time. The second half was largely routine for Celtic, with Brendan Rodgers making a double substitution on 65 minutes that immediately paid dividends — Durán striking again just two minutes later to complete a dominant 3-0 scoreline. The statistics tell a nuanced story: LASK actually edged Celtic on shots (20 to 17) and shots on target (8 to 7), and created two big chances to Celtic's one, yet were punished by the home side's superior composure in front of goal. Celtic's goalkeeper was kept busy — eight saves across the night — suggesting LASK had moments, but the Austrian side's lack of cutting edge ultimately meant they leave Glasgow facing a daunting deficit heading into the second leg.
Alemao takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Sebastian Tounekti takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Callum McGregor takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Liam Scales takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Haissem Hassan is on, and Camilo Duran is off.
Haissem Hassan is on, and Camilo Duran is off.
Kasper Poul Molgaard Jorgensen receives a yellow card.
Sascha Horvath takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Kasper Poul Molgaard Jorgensen receives a yellow card.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Offside.
Corner awarded.
Offside.
Offside.
Xavier Mbuyamba attempts a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Christoph Lang is on, and Moses Usor is off.
Corner awarded.
Sascha Horvath takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Camilo Duran scores with a left-footed shot.
assist: Benjamin Nygren
Goal! Camilo Duran scores to make it 3-0, assisted by Benjamin Nygren.
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Goal! Camilo Duran scores to make it 3-0, assisted by Benjamin Nygren.
Alessandro Schopf comes on for Krystof Danek.
Reo Hatate is on, and Mika Baur is off.
Camilo Duran takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Moses Usor takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Moses Usor takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Offside.
Yang Hyun-Jun takes a left-footed shot, but it misses the target.
Offside.
Offside.
Corner awarded.
Mika Baur's right-footed shot is saved.
Corner awarded.
Kieran Tierney's left-footed shot is blocked.
Moses Usor takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
First half ends with a score of 2-0.
Auston Trusty takes a header shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Camilo Duran scores with a left-footed shot.
Goal! Camilo Duran scores, making it 2-0.
Andres Andrade takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Offside.
Benjamin NygrenShot from Benjamin Nygren with his left foot results in a goal.
Goal! Benjamin Nygren scores to make it 1-0.
Goal! Benjamin Nygren scores to make it 1-0.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Krystof Danek takes a shot with his head, but it's saved.
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Kasper Poul Molgaard Jorgensen's header is saved.
Camilo Duran takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Camilo Duran takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Benjamin Nygren takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Offside.
Goal! The score is now 0-1.
Kick-off! The referee is Sandro Scharer.
Outstanding performance
Celtic•GoalkeeperHow entertaining was this match?
Celtic welcome LASK Linz to a raucous Celtic Park on Wednesday night in the Champions League play-offs, with a place in the lucrative league phase on the line. Both sides arrive in blistering domestic form, but availability concerns on both ends add a fascinating layer of uncertainty to what promises to be a tightly contested first leg.
