Camilo Duran Scores Twice as Celtic Beat LASK 3-0 in Champions League Play-Off

Camilo Duran scored twice on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 as Celtic beat LASK 3-0 at Celtic Park in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off. The Colombian striker’s double — alongside a Benjamin Nygren opener — gave the Hoops a commanding lead toward the 2026-27 league phase and marked the standout individual performance on a night when LASK had two goals ruled out for offside.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, and post-match accounts from The Independent and 101 Great Goals, August 19, 2026.

Duran’s goals at Celtic Park

Duran arrived at Celtic in July from Qarabag and had already scored his first competitive goal in a 4-0 Premier Sports League Cup win over Dundee United on August 15. Four nights later, he delivered his first European goals for the club on a stage that mattered most.

Minute	Goal	Detail
38’	First	Volleyed Kieran Tierney’s cross into the net for his first goal at Parkhead in Europe
67’	Second	Curled past Lukas Jungwirth after a flowing move involving Nygren and Kasper Hogh

The first strike was a clean volley from the edge of the area — the kind of finish that drew immediate praise from broadcasters and post-match analysts. The second was arguably sharper: Duran received from Nygren, exchanged with Hogh, and guided a precise effort into the far corner to complete his brace and seal a 3-0 aggregate cushion before the return leg.

Nygren had set the tone in the 26th minute, volleying from the edge of the box after LASK’s Moses Usor and Samuel Adeniran had each had goals disallowed for offside in the opening exchanges.

From Qarabag to Parkhead: who is Camilo Duran?

Duran is 24 and became Celtic’s first Colombian player when he signed a five-year deal in a transfer worth around £6 million on July 10, 2026. He joined from Qarabag, where he scored 15 goals last season — five in the Champions League across 10 appearances.

Detail	Information
Born	Colombia; youth career at Independiente Medellín
Previous clubs	Portugal (Portimonense), then Qarabag (2025–26)
Celtic fee	Approximately £6m
Contract	Five years
First Celtic goal	Pre-season friendly vs Sporting CP, July 14, 2026

On signing, Duran told club media that playing and scoring in the Champions League was “a dream come true” and that he wanted to keep doing it at Celtic. He also spoke about hoping a strong season at Parkhead would help him earn a Colombia call-up — a national-team ambition he has carried since childhood.

Martin O’Neill said after the LASK match that Celtic had tracked Duran for some time and that his display was “a world-class performance” — taking on defenders, working back, and finishing with composure under European pressure.

The wider match context

Celtic’s win was not as comfortable as the scoreline alone suggested. LASK, Austrian champions on an eight-match winning run, created chances throughout and finished with nine shots on target to Celtic’s seven, testing goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo repeatedly.

Stat	Celtic	LASK
Possession	64%	36%
Shots on target	7	9
Corners	9	3
Final score	3	0

The visitors’ frustration was compounded by two offside decisions that kept the tie level before Nygren broke through. Celtic’s efficiency in front of goal — chiefly through Duran — proved the difference on a night when Champions League football returned to Celtic Park after the club missed the competition entirely last season following a play-off exit to Kairat Almaty.

O’Neill’s side had lost their previous five Champions League play-off ties since 2017, making a strong first-leg showing as much about breaking a pattern as securing a scoreline. Duran and Nygren, both summer recruits, were central to that turnaround alongside Hogh, who assisted the third goal.

What comes next

The second leg is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, with kick-off at 8:00 p.m. BST. Neither club has a domestic fixture at the weekend, giving both managers a full week to prepare.

The winner on aggregate advances to the Champions League league phase, with the draw set for August 27. Matchday one of the 2026-27 competition is scheduled for September 8.

For Duran, the immediate question is whether he can carry his Parkhead form to Austria. For Celtic, a three-goal cushion offers breathing room — but LASK’s attacking threat in Glasgow suggests the tie is not settled until the return.

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Discussion

Duran’s double answered a specific question Celtic supporters had been asking since July: whether the club’s summer spending could fix last season’s qualifying failure.

1. Does Camilo Duran’s Champions League brace prove Celtic got their recruitment right?

Two goals in a play-off first leg is a statement debut in Europe. How much weight should one performance carry when judging whether the Hoops have addressed the weaknesses that kept them out of the competition last year?

2. Can Duran sustain this level through the return leg and into the league phase?

LASK showed enough in Glasgow to suggest a comeback is not impossible. If Celtic advance, Duran will face stronger opposition regularly — does this night at Parkhead look like the start of a consistent run, or a one-off flourish?

Share your view on whether Duran has already justified his fee — or whether Linz next Tuesday will test whether Celtic’s new striker belongs at this level week after week.

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