Manager delighted to be leading at 'half-time' in UCL tie after win at Paradise

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Celtic F.C.

·19 August 2026

Manager delighted to be leading at 'half-time' in UCL tie after win at Paradise

Celtic’s 3-0 victory over Austrian side, LASK, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off tie has put Martin O’Neill’s team in a strong position to progress to the league phase of the competition.

Not surprisingly, the Celtic manager was delighted with the performance and result, but he knows that the Hoops face a tough test next week in Austria against a LASK side who created plenty of chances over the course of the 90 minutes at Celtic Park.

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A goal for Benjamin Nygren – his fourth in as many games – and a double from the outstanding Camilo Duran – had Paradise celebrating another memorable European result.

Speaking to CelticPlayer after the game, Martin O’Neill hailed his side’s showing against a ‘top-class side’, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the first minute and then created another great chance moments later.

He said: “I’m delighted that we've won and I thought we played some really fine stuff, but I think that this tie is far from over.

“It was a fantastic shot (first LASK ‘goal’), but he was just offside, marginally offside as well too. Then we had a scare a couple of minutes later and they could have been 2-0 up and out of sight.

“So it’s great credit to the team. We settled down, got a grip, took a deep breath and tried to get into the game, which we did.

“Nygren’s goal was fantastic and got us going, and then Duran's two goals were simply magnificent, culminating in a performance like you wouldn't believe. He was absolutely fantastic.

“But we've seen enough from LASK to know that we really are only at half-time here. We've got a lot to work on, there's no question about it, but take nothing away. We scored three great goals and I'm delighted.”