Duran double gives Celtic 3-0 first-leg lead over LASK in Champions League play-off

Camilo Duran scored twice as Celtic beat LASK 3-0 in Glasgow in the first leg of the Champions League play-off on Wednesday, leaving Celtic with a commanding advantage heading into the return fixture. The second of his goals completed a rapid 30-second move that underlined Celtic’s attacking intent on the night.

Celtic’s victory was their first to savour after a poor recent European run—they had won only 10 of their previous 50 games in European competition—and arrived a year on from a humiliating exit to Kairat Almaty in which they failed to score across 180 minutes plus extra time and then missed three penalties in the shoot-out. Brendan Rodgers was the Celtic manager a year ago; Martin O’Neill is now in charge and has presided over a summer of spending close to £30m, with incoming signings funded by the sales of Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda, leaving the club in net profit on transfer fees.

Celtic’s third goal, which made it 3-0 in the 72nd minute, unfolded in under 30 seconds. The sequence began with goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, moved to right-back Colby Donovan, back to Sinisalo, then out to Auston Trusty on the left; Trusty advanced a positive ball into midfield, Benjamin Nygren fed Duran, Nygren ran into the LASK box and returned the ball to Duran, who finished into the top corner.

Duran’s double comprised a glanced volley set up by sustained pressure on the LASK defence and the composed finish from the team move that completed the scoring. O’Neill described Duran as a bargain and the club paid between £4.5m and £6m for the 24-year-old; the manager also praised his defensive work, noting that in the 72nd minute Duran was tracking back to help his team regain possession.

Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring and it was his fourth goal in four games this season, following a campaign in which he recorded 21 goals and 10 assists last term. Callum McGregor was credited with keeping Celtic on the front foot throughout the match, and teenager Colby Donovan earned praise from O’Neill, who said of him: "Big, big heart" and "Boundless enthusiasm." Kasper Hogh was largely quiet on the night but the club paid £11m for him, a fee the report described as appearing to be money "very well spent."

LASK, who are described as Austrian champions and cup winners, created a large number of chances in Glasgow and were not overrun; O’Neill warned against complacency ahead of the second leg and "sang their praises" in his post-match remarks. On Celtic’s broader squad needs, O’Neill said: "We're on the plus-side in terms of money," and the club identified further reinforcements required for European competition, including another goalkeeper, a left-back, possibly a centre-back, a top-class defensive midfielder and a more creative central midfielder.

The result gives Celtic a significant first-leg cushion but does not conclude the tie; O’Neill stressed the need for a decisive result in the return match, which the article says requires a knockout blow to be delivered in a week. The stadium atmosphere, which had been riven by protest, changed to loud approval on Wednesday, with Duran underlined as a central figure in that turnaround.