Durán scores twice as Celtic defeat LASK 3-0 in Champions League playoff first leg

Summer signing Camilo Durán netted a brace, complemented by a superb strike from Benjamin Nygren, propelling Celtic to a commanding 3-0 victory over LASK in the first leg of their Champions League playoff. The dominant performance at Celtic Park provides the Scottish club with a significant advantage heading into the return fixture.

Nygren opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a powerful volley from 20 yards after a clearance. Durán followed suit eight minutes later, striking a near-identical volley into the top corner. The Colombian forward then secured his brace and Celtic's third goal midway through the second half, finishing clinically inside the box after a neat exchange of passes.

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a near identical goal

The win significantly eases nerves among Celtic fans, who have witnessed the team's exit at this stage in previous Champions League qualifying campaigns. Last year, Celtic failed to score against Kairat Almaty, highlighting a persistent issue with securing a proven striker. The arrival of Durán and Kasper Hogh appears to have addressed this problem, though other signings were slow to materialize.

Despite LASK creating chances and having two goals disallowed for offside, Celtic's efficiency in front of goal proved decisive. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo made several saves to preserve the clean sheet, as Celtic continued their strong start to the domestic season. The result puts Celtic firmly in control ahead of the second leg in Linz next Tuesday.

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his third Celtic goal