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

On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Celtic beat LASK 3-0 at Celtic Park in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off, taking a commanding lead toward the 2026-27 league phase. Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring and summer signing Camilo Duran netted twice on a night when the Austrian champions 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.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	UEFA Champions League — play-off round, first leg
Date	Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Venue	Celtic Park, Glasgow
Kick-off	8:00 p.m. BST
Final score	Celtic 3-0 LASK
Aggregate lead	3-0 heading into the second leg

Goal scorers

Minute	Player	Team
26’	Benjamin Nygren	Celtic
38’	Camilo Duran	Celtic
67’	Camilo Duran	Celtic

How the match unfolded

LASK threaten early, but offside calls keep it level

The visitors started sharply and nearly took an immediate lead when Moses Usor fired into the top corner within seconds of kick-off — only for the flag to rule the strike offside. Samuel Adeniran had a header disallowed for the same reason shortly before Celtic broke through, leaving LASK frustrated by margins that did not show up on the scoreboard.

Nygren and Duran turn the tie Celtic’s way

Benjamin Nygren, one of Celtic’s major summer arrivals, put the home side ahead in the 26th minute, catching a volley cleanly from the edge of the area. Camilo Duran doubled the lead before half-time, volleying Kieran Tierney’s cross into the net for his first goal at Parkhead.

After the interval, Callum McGregor hit the post following a deflection off teammate Kasper Hogh, and goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo made a sharp save to deny Usor when LASK pressed again. Duran sealed the win in the 67th minute, finishing a flowing move involving Nygren and Hogh with a curled effort past Lukas Jungwirth.

Period	Score	Key moment
Opening minutes	0-0	Usor goal disallowed for offside
First half	2-0 Celtic	Nygren opener; Duran volley
Second half	3-0 final	Duran second; Sinisalo save on Usor

Match statistics

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

Despite the three-goal margin, the tie was more competitive than the final score suggested — LASK created chances throughout and tested Sinisalo more often on target. Celtic’s efficiency in front of goal and two VAR-assisted offside decisions proved decisive at home.

O’Neill, new signings, and a play-off past

Martin O’Neill’s side entered the tie on a run of four wins across all competitions and at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The manager handed a debut to 22-year-old midfielder Mika Baur, saying the youngster offered energy in midfield while Arne Engels remained unavailable.

Duran and Nygren were the headline performers among Celtic’s summer recruits, with Hogh also involved in the third goal. For O’Neill — back in charge at 74 and leading Celtic toward another European campaign — the win carried extra weight after last season’s play-off exit to Kairat Almaty, which kept the club out of the Champions League group stage entirely.

Celtic had lost their previous five Champions League play-off ties stretching back to 2017, a streak that made the first-leg performance as much about breaking a pattern as securing a scoreline. A return to Champions League nights at Celtic Park — absent last season — added emotional context for supporters who watched the club pay for last year’s qualifying failure.

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 side has a domestic fixture at the weekend, leaving both managers a full week to prepare for the return.

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.

Celtic travel to Austria with a three-goal cushion, but O’Neill and his players will be aware that LASK arrived in Glasgow on an eight-match winning streak across all competitions and showed enough threat to suggest the tie is not settled yet.

---

Discussion

Celtic produced the scoreline supporters wanted, but LASK’s disallowed goals and chances underline how quickly a play-off can turn.

1. Can Celtic finally end their run of Champions League play-off exits in Linz?

Five successive play-off defeats since 2017 — including last year’s loss to Kairat — have made this stage a recurring hurdle. Does a 3-0 first-leg lead change the psychology, or does LASK’s attacking threat make a comeback plausible?

2. Did Camilo Duran’s double settle the debate over Celtic’s summer spending?

Two goals on a Champions League night at Parkhead is a statement debut in Europe. How much should supporters read into one performance when judging whether the club’s recruitment has addressed last season’s qualifying shortcomings?

Share your view on whether Celtic have already done enough — or whether next Tuesday in Austria will decide if the Hoops truly belong back among Europe’s elite.

---