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Martin O'Neill Sends Celtic Warning | Latest Celtic News

CeltsAreHere.com · Mark Devlin · 2026-08-20T06:56:00+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Martin O’Neill is refusing to get carried away despite Celtic’s Champions League play-off win over LASK. O’Neill’s side sealed a 3-0 victory as they now prepare for the return leg in Austria on Tuesday. The Hoops boss is wary that it’s only halftime in the tie and gave the opponents respect after they threatened early on occasion. LASK thought they had raced into a lead after just 27 seconds, but the flag was raised for offside – an early wake-up call for Celtic. It’s four goals in four games for the Swede, who was ever present in the Celtic attack. LASK then thought they had levelled after 34 minutes, but the flag was raised yet again. It was another reminder that despite some great attacking play, the Austrian champions were refusing to close up shop. Duran gave the Celts a two-goal cushion shortly after from a similar position to Nygren’s strike. The Colombian’s first-time volley was the pick of the bunch on the night; his second goal on 67 minutes wasn’t too bad, either! Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, O’Neill praised his side’s performance, but admitted they did ride their luck at times early on: “I thought there were periods where we played some really fantastic stuff. There were also periods where they played fantastic stuff. “It was really like a basketball game, particularly in the first half. We rode a little bit of luck. They started the brighter. “It took us time to get going. Great goal by Nygren to take a bit of pressure off, and then Duran’s two goals were fantastic. “But the game is absolutely in the balance, yeah.” O’Neill will naturally be humble in his verdict given what awaits them on Tuesday night. Celtic were superior, but LASK showed they can threaten if the opportunity arises. Should the Hoops get an early goal in Austria, they will have one foot in the Champions League proper, but concede first and it could become a nail-biter. O’Neill and his coaching team have six days until the return leg, with no domestic game this weekend, so it’s full focus on the tie that has around £40 million on the line. The summer arrivals all featured: Baur dictated in midfield, Hogh created space for his teammates, Duran shone, and Hassan featured late on. The team delivered; now they are fully aware of what’s required next week.