Scottish football club Celtic missed out on the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage after suffering a painful comeback defeat to LASK of Austria, despite Yang Hyun-jun's first assist of the season.
Celtic lost 1-5 after extra time in the away second leg of the 2026-2027 UCL qualifying playoff, played at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria, on the 26th (Korea time), even after taking the lead on Yang's assist.
Having won comfortably 3-0 at home in last week's first leg, Celtic led 4-0 on aggregate before conceding five straight goals. The final aggregate score was 4-5 — a scarcely believable comeback loss.
Celtic will now drop down to compete in the Europa League, the second tier of European club competition, while LASK reached the UCL group stage for the first time.
When the opening goal came in the 21st minute, Celtic's passage to the UCL group stage looked all but assured.
Yang darted down the left to receive a through ball, cut into the center and delivered a cutback, which Callum McGregor finished with a left-footed shot to break open LASK's goal.
But that was as far as it went. Starting with Moses Usor's goal in the 32nd minute, LASK tore through a Celtic defense that had grown vulnerable.
LASK closed to within 3-4 on aggregate with successive long-range goals from Robert Ljubicic in the 48th minute and Samuel Adeniran in the 58th minute.
Falling steadily behind, Celtic used five substitutions in a row in the latter stages of the second half in an attempt to change the momentum, but it was not enough. Yang was replaced by Sebastian Tounekti in the 63rd minute.
In the 90th minute, LASK finally leveled the score with a header from Florian Flecker amid a scramble in front of goal, forcing the match into extra time.
In the 109th minute, Adeniran struck the Celtic goal with a sudden long-range shot, capping a 5-4 comeback drama.
