Champions League: Martin O’Neill accepts blame as Celtic knocked out by LASK after historic collapse
Celtic let slip a 3-0 first-leg lead in the Champions League play-offs on Tuesday as hosts LASK secured a stunning 5-1 victory to advance to the competition’s league phase.
Captain Callum McGregor had even put the visitors 4-0 up on aggregate, but Moses Usor, Robert Ljubičić, Samuel Adeniran and Florian Flecker dragged the Austrians back into the tie before Adeniran struck the killer blow deep into extra time.
Bhoys boss Martin O’Neill has since accepted responsibility for the remarkable defeat, admitting his side fell well short of expectations when it mattered most.
The result means Celtic will play in the Europa League for a second successive season, with the Scottish Premiership champions having suffered a similar Champions League play-off exit to Kairat last year.
O’Neill admits ‘massive disappointment’
In the wake of a crushing loss, O’Neill said on Sky Sports: “We should’ve been out of sight by half-time.
“We missed two great opportunities and then we gave them a lifeline right before half-time and then another one just after it.
“They came roaring back. That’s my team, that’s my responsibility.
“At half-time, I thought we were still well in command of the game. Just after, they score and then momentum goes in their direction.
“It’s hard to stem it when they’re chasing the game and we can’t get out for 10 minutes.
“These are tough games. This might have been a qualification game, but it felt like a Champions League game.
“That doesn’t matter. Talking about the squad is for another day.
“It’s a massive disappointment. We’re playing in the Europa League, but that’s no consolation.
“There was a feel-good factor and that’s a massive disappointment.”
No excuses, says McGregor
McGregor echoed his manager’s thoughts, saying: “We got what we deserved.
“I thought we were passive all night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game.
“To be honest, I don’t think we were that good in the first leg either and we kind of got away with it, but then you’re up 3-0 and think you have a chance.
“When you play like that, you can’t have any excuse whatsoever.
“We have to suck it up. We apologise to the supporters and to the club because there’s no way we should lose that game.
“Now we have to see what character we have. You can’t lose the game by such a big margin and look for excuses elsewhere.
“This is where we see what people are made of in terms of what we achieve this season.”
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