Safira Sports
Breaking
World Cup 2026 — follow every match on Safira SportsLatest transfer news and national team updatesLive scores, standings and FIFA rankingsArab & Muslim-majority teams at the World CupWorld Cup 2026 — follow every match on Safira SportsLatest transfer news and national team updatesLive scores, standings and FIFA rankingsArab & Muslim-majority teams at the World Cup
Celtic coach: We are very far from the required level after leaving...
Nationalteams

Celtic coach: We are very far from the required level after leaving...

Celtic coach Martin O'Neill expressed his regret after exiting the Champions League qualifiers, stressing that the team is still far from achieving ambitions.

safirasports.com • 27d ago

Share

Celtic coach: We are very far from the required level after leaving...

According toSoccernews.

Background

Celtic, as one of the oldest clubs in Scotland, faces major challenges after failing to qualify for the Champions League for the second season in a row. Coach Martin O'Neill realizes the urgent need to improve performance, especially after the crushing defeat against LASIK, which affects the club's ambitions in European competitions.

Why is this important?

Celtic's exit from the Champions League qualifiers reflects the great challenges facing the team in its quest to return to the required level. With repeated failure to qualify, pressure is mounting on coach Martin O'Neill to improve performance and build a team capable of competing in European Championships. This result may also affect the attraction of new players, as qualifying for the Champions League was expected to facilitate the process of signing new talent.

Key points

  • Celtic coach: We are very far from the required level after leaving...
  • Celtic coach Martin O'Neill expressed his regret after exiting the Champions League qualifiers, stressing that the team is still far from achieving ambitions.
  • Celtic ‘a million miles away from the finished article’ after Champions League exit, says O’Neill.
Martin O'Neill, coach of the Scottish team Celtic, expressed his extreme disappointment after his team was eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers, as it was eliminated by the Austrian team LASIK after losing 5-4 on aggregate. In the second match of the qualifiers, Celtic were thrashed 5–1, although they were leading on aggregate by 4–0 at one stage.

The match started well for Celtic as they won the first match 3-0, and with 21 minutes gone in the second match, Calem McGregor added another goal to extend his team's lead. But things quickly turned in Lasek's favor, as players Musa Yusur, Robert Ljubic, Samuel Adeniran, and Florian Flick were able to score goals over the course of 90 minutes, forcing the match to go into extra time. In extra time, Adeniran scored the fifth goal as LASIK staged a stunning comeback.

Image

This is the second season in a row that Celtic have failed to qualify for the Champions League, which O'Neill acknowledged, expressing the difficulty of accepting this early exit. O'Neill said in a press conference: "We know that we are far from the desired level, and that is absolutely true. We thought that if we qualified for the Champions League, there would be players who would want to join us on this basis, but that will not happen now. But we will see. When I see that we need to improve, we might talk about being far behind. We played great in the last match, and they (Lasek) played well too and scored great goals. But we were far from the desired level, especially in the second half."

The Lasek team showed great attacking power, as they fired 40 shots at Celtic's goal, with an expected score of 4.8 goals, while Celtic's shots were very limited, as they did not exceed 8 shots. Although Celtic had a higher percentage of possession, Lasek was the most dangerous. O'Neill takes responsibility for the defeat, saying: "I am responsible for this defeat, without a doubt. Of course, it took a long time to recover from the defeat in the UEFA Cup Final in 2003, but this defeat was hugely disappointing. In the context of things, the former was a final that would have been nice to win, while this was a qualifier that we should have gotten through.

Celtic now needs to re-evaluate its performance and preparations for the season, as it looks to strengthen its ranks to compete in the upcoming tournaments.

What's next?

Celtic must now re-evaluate their strategies and set new priorities for next season following their early Champions League exit. The team will likely focus on improving performance in the domestic league and strengthening the current squad. It will also be important for the players to learn from this harsh experience to strengthen team spirit and achieve better results in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the result of the Celtic vs. Lasek match?

Celtic lost to Lasek 5-4 on aggregate.

How did this defeat affect your basket's standings in the league?

This defeat meant that Celtic failed to qualify for the Champions League for the second successive season.

What goal did Calem McGregor score in the match?

Calem McGregor scored in the second game after 21 minutes.

When will your next match be?

No details about Celtic's next match were mentioned in the article.

How did the LASIK team perform in the match?

The Lasek team showed great attacking power, as they fired 40 shots at Celtic's goal.

Related articles

Related articles

Related Videos

Related links

Share this article

Share

Related Articles