Football: Celtic collapse spectacularly, crashing out of Champions League

Scottish football giants Celtic experienced a dramatic and humiliating exit from the Champions League qualifiers, squandering a significant first-leg advantage against Austria's LASK Linz. The Glasgow club, expected to comfortably advance, suffered a shocking 5-1 defeat in the second leg, resulting in a 5-4 aggregate loss.

Celtic had secured a commanding 3-0 victory at home and extended their lead in the away leg through Callum McGregor in the 21st minute. However, what followed was an unprecedented collapse. LASK Linz mounted a remarkable comeback, scoring five goals in succession to stun the visitors.

Moses Usor equalized for LASK, and the Austrian side continued their onslaught in the second half. Robert Ljubicic put LASK ahead in the tie early in the second period, followed by goals from Samuel Adeniran and Florian Flecker, who scored in the 90th minute to force extra time.

In extra time, Adeniran scored again to give LASK the lead in the aggregate score. Although Celtic's goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo managed to save a penalty, it proved to be a mere consolation as Celtic failed to mount a final surge. The sensational comeback denied Celtic not only a place in the Champions League but also a lucrative prize of 18.6 million euros, with LASK Linz now advancing to the prestigious tournament.