Remarkable Celtic stat underlines just how ruthless Hoops were against LASK

Celtic were absolutely ruthless in front of goal against LASK — and one statistic underlines just how clinical Martin O’Neill’s side were.

Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring before Camilo Duran struck twice as Celtic secured a superb 3-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Celtic Park.

All three finishes were of the highest quality, but the underlying numbers make the result even more striking.

According to BBC Sport’s match data, Celtic scored three times despite recording an expected goals figure of just 0.87.

LASK, meanwhile, produced an xG of 1.75 — almost double Celtic’s total — but somehow left Glasgow without finding the net.

It is a remarkable contrast and highlights the difference between the two sides in the decisive moments.

Celtic did not create a succession of clear-cut opportunities or pepper the LASK goal throughout the night. Instead, when their big moments arrived, they were devastating.