Celtic skipper says team looked ‘scared’ in shock Champions League defeat | OneFootball

Celtic captain Callum McGregor thought his team looked “scared to go and win the game” despite going into the clash against LASK with the odds stacked in their favour.

After a half-time score of 1-1 and with the tie overwhelmingly in Celtic’s favour, the Glasgow side suffered a complete collapse, conceding three goals in the second half and a fourth in extra time as LASK pulled off a remarkable comeback to win 5-4 on aggregate.

Celtic fans have now felt two consecutive years of Champions League heartbreak, having lost out on penalties to Kairat Almaty in last season’s play-offs.

Dropping down to the Europa League means Martin O’Neill’s side will miss out on an estimated €14 million in participation fees alone.

And McGregor spoke candidly about the humiliating defeat.

“We got what we deserved. I thought we were so passive all night and we actually looked scared to go and win the game,” McGregor told Amazon Prime.

“We have to suck it up and we apologise to the supporters and the club because there’s no way that we should lose that game.

“We’ve got to stick together. Now you’ll see what kind of characters are here.”

McGregor also dismissed a lack of signings as an excuse for the team’s failings on the night.

“Everyone’s happy for two or three weeks, and then you fall at a big hurdle and these questions will get asked,” he added.

“It’s as much on the players as anything else to be honest. You can’t lose that game by such a big margin and then start looking for excuses elsewhere. We have to accept that.

“You’ll now see what people are made of in terms of what we go on and achieve this season. You now have to bounce back. As disappointing as it is, you now have to show reaction and that’s what Celtic is all about.”