Job not done, Celtic must be ready for LASK throwing kitchen sink
Only half way there, but we can be confident of going through, especially with Martin O’Neill in charge…
This time last year we ended our Champions League play off home-tie in disarray, as we were held to a goalless stalemate against Kazakh minnows Kairat Almaty. That frustrating night Celtic looked very much like a side devoid of ideas, and low on both confidence and quality.
But fast forward a year, and we look like a totally transformed side, as we put one foot into the Champions League proper with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Austrian Champions LASK at a rain soaked Paradise last night, whilst putting on an assured, and impressive performance.
A superb Benjamin Nygren opener, followed by two just as impressive efforts from Camilo Duran gave us a highly deserved victory, and we can now head over to Linz next Tuesday very confident of earning a mega £40 million payday.
We shouldn’t get complacent though, as LASK will still be a dangerous opponent on home turf, and they showed in spells tonight that they are a decent side, and on another night could have scored a couple of goals themselves. A mention here for Viljami Sinisalo who looked assured in the Celtic goals as he kept a clean sheet with both Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel watching on.
LASK didn’t score though, thanks to a disciplined Celtic defensive performance, although if we were being pernickety, we could call out some of the slack Celtic play, especially in the middle of the park, but our defenders did their jobs, and Colby Donovan also deserves great praise for his outstanding performance.
Following Celtic away in Europe is usually a chore in terms of results, but under Martin O’Neill we show great strength and resilience, so we should be confident enough come Tuesday evening that we’ll earn out place in the champions League draw that takes place the following afternoon.
Last season on our European travels under Martin O’Neill we suffered a 3-1 loss over in Denmark against Midtjylland, but superb displays against Feyenoord, Bologna, and Stuttgart showed that we are a well organised and resilient unit under the veteran Irishman, and Tuesday night in Linz shouldn’t be any different.
Kudos to the players and management team for putting us in such a great position in what was a memorable and iconic night at Celtic Park. And as expected the crowd, including the incredible support from Linz, all added to occasion as Celtic Park ROARED like nowhere else in Europe on big Champions League nights.
We should hold no fears about the trip to Austria and should be looking to hit LASK on the break as they will have to go for it from the word go if they have to stand any chance of turning the tie around.
