Martin O’Neill puts Champions League collapse among most painful Celtic nights

The calamitous loss in Austria sends Celtic into the Europa League and delivers a damaging financial blow that will cost the club at least €25m

PAIN GAME: Martin O'Neill looks stunned as Celtic blow a four-goal advantage in their Champions League play off round second leg match tie in Linz against LASK of Austria. Pic: Christian Bruna/Getty Images

Martin O’Neill has admitted Celtic’s Champions League qualifying collapse from 4-0 up ranks as one of his most painful nights as the club’s manager.

Celtic held a four-goal aggregate lead against Lask on Tuesday when Callum McGregor scored in the 21st minute in Austria, building on a 3-0 first-leg victory, and appeared to be cruising into the league stage. But they lost 5-1 on the night after extra time to go out in extraordinary fashion.

Defeat sends Celtic into the Europa League and delivers a damaging financial blow that will cost the club at least £20m. O’Neill has overseen more than 300 games as the club’s manager and said it was one of the most painful.

“I would say absolutely, yes,” the 74-year-old said. “I’d put it down before the disappointment of losing the Uefa Cup final in 2003, but it’s so, so disappointing.

“We should have been out of sight by half-time. We scored a goal, which was great, we missed two great, great opportunities. And then we give them a lifeline just before half-time and then one just after it. And they come roaring back.

“And obviously we conceded, from our viewpoint, not good goals at all. But that’s my team and that’s my responsibility.” 

Asked whether his squad was strong enough, O’Neill said: “These are tough games. And it might only be a Champions League qualifying game, but it felt like a Champions League game. I thought they were a fine side. But that doesn’t matter. We should have been able to have seen it through. And we didn’t do. Talking about the squad, that’s for another day.” 

He added: "I'm responsible for this one, without a doubt. Naturally it took me a long time to get over the Uefa Cup final in 2003 but this was majorly disappointing. In the context of things, one was a final which it would have been terrific to win, this was a qualifying game which we should have been able to get through.

"We know that we are a million miles from the finished article. That's absolutely true. I think we thought that anyway."

Celtic now have the added complication of c ompleting a transfer window without the carrot of Chaqmpions League football to offer a potential signing. 

"The qualification for the Champions League is major, it's major in every aspect," said O'Neill.

"Financially, for prestige, but we have to pick ourselves up. That's my responsibility again to do that.

"I think I said last week that if you could qualify for the Champions League there would be players wanting to come on that basis. That's not going to be the case but we'll see. Tonight we came up well and truly short, particularly in the second half."

McGregor, the captain, accepted there were no excuses. “We got what we deserved,” he told Amazon Prime. “I thought we were so passive. All night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game, and when you are 3-0 up it’s psychological.

“To be honest I didn’t think we were that good in the first leg either. We scored at good times and kind of got away with it. You go 3-0 and you think you’ve got a real chance but when you play like that you can’t have any excuse whatsoever.

“We have to suck it up, apologise to the supporters and the club because there is no way that we should lose that game … Now you’ll see what kind of characters are in there.”