'We looked scared!' - Callum McGregor slams 'passive' Celtic after historic Champions League collapse against LASK

Celtic experienced one of the darkest nights in their European history after suffering a stunning Champions League play-off collapse against LASK. The Scottish champions were dumped out of the competition following a 5-4 aggregate defeat after extra time in Austria.

The Hoops had travelled with a commanding 3-0 first-leg advantage. When McGregor scored early to extend that lead to four goals, progression seemed entirely assured. However, a miraculous Austrian comeback shattered Celtic's dreams. Goals from Moses Usor, Robert Ljubicic, and a Samuel Adeniran stunner rocked the visitors, before Florian Flecker’s 90th-minute header forced extra time.

The momentum shifted entirely in LASK's favour during extra time. Adeniran unleashed a brilliant strike in the 109th minute to put the Austrian champions ahead on aggregate for the very first time. Adeniran almost added a sixth after Reo Hatate fouled Krystof Danek, but Viljami Sinisalo heroically saved the penalty. Despite the sudden lifeline, Celtic could not mount a late response.

Celtic boss Martin O'Neill was left completely devastated by the collapse. Asked if it was his worst feeling as a manager, he replied: "Without a doubt. Naturally it took me a long time to get over the UEFA Cup final in 2003, but this was majorly disappointing."

Following the humiliating exit, McGregor did not hold back in his assessment of the team's dismal performance. The Celtic captain issued a desperate apology to the travelling supporters. Speaking with Amazon Prime, McGregor said: "We got what we deserved. I thought we were passive all night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game.

"To be honest, I don't think we were that good in the first leg either and we kind of got away with it. But then you're up 3-0 and think you have a chance. When you play like that, you can't have any excuse whatsoever.

"We have to suck it up. We apologise to the supporters and to the club because there's no way we should lose that game. Now we have to see what character we have. You can't lose the game by such a big margin and look for excuses elsewhere. This is where we see what people are made of in terms of what we achieve this season."

The full-time whistle condemned Celtic to the Europa League for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Hoops suffered a similarly painful exit at this stage after losing on penalties to Kairat Almaty.

However, throwing away a four-goal aggregate lead makes this latest failure an even harder blow for the Scottish giants to absorb. Celtic must now dust themselves down quickly. The Hoops will discover their continental opponents when they enter Friday's Europa League league-phase draw.