Celtic moved a major step closer to securing a place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) league stage after a convincing 3-0 home victory over LASK in the qualification play-off first leg. The result marked only the Bhoys’ second win in their last six UCL qualifying matches at Celtic Park, while LASK’s six-game unbeaten away streak came to an end.

Celtic Park was buzzing from the opening whistle, but the home crowd was almost silenced inside the first minute. Moses Usor found the net with a powerful volley from a tight angle, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

LASK continued to threaten moments later. Samuel Adeniran used his pace to get beyond Cameron Carter-Vickers, but the visiting forward could only drag his effort wide of the target.

After surviving the early pressure, Celtic gradually took control of proceedings. Benjamin Nygren found Camilo Durán inside the penalty area, with the Colombian forcing a smart save from Lukas Jungwirth after 10 minutes.

The match then settled into a more even rhythm before Celtic finally broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Kieran Tierney surged down the left flank before sending a dangerous delivery into the box. LASK defender Sascha Horvath could only partially clear the cross, leaving the ball for Nygren, who produced a superb first-time finish into the top corner.

The goal lifted the atmosphere inside Celtic Park, but LASK quickly thought they had found an equaliser. Samuel Adeniran headed in George Bello’s cross, only for the assistant referee to once again raise the offside flag.

Celtic made LASK pay for the missed opportunity seven minutes before half-time. Tierney was again at the heart of the attack, creating danger from the left before his cross was cleared towards Durán. The Colombian made no mistake, unleashing a spectacular volley into the top corner to give Celtic a 2-0 advantage at the break.

The Scottish champions continued to look dangerous from long range and came close to adding a third goal shortly before the hour mark. Captain Callum McGregor unleashed a powerful effort from outside the box, but the ball took several deflections, with the final touch coming off teammate Kasper Hogh before striking the post.

LASK, managed by Dietmar Kühbauer, began to find more of a foothold in the game as the second half progressed. However, their failure to make the most of their opportunities proved costly as Celtic once again punished them with a superb attacking move.

Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Durán combined brilliantly to put the game beyond LASK’s reach. Durán cut inside from the right before exchanging a clever one-two with Nygren and curling a superb effort towards the top corner. Lukas Jungwirth managed to get a hand to the shot, but could not prevent it from finding the back of the net.

LASK, managed by Dietmar Kühbauer, began to find more of a foothold in the game as the second half progressed. However, their failure to make the most of their opportunities proved costly as Celtic once again punished them with a superb attacking move.

Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Durán combined brilliantly to put the game beyond LASK’s reach. Durán cut inside from the right before exchanging a clever one-two with Nygren and curling a superb effort towards the top corner. Lukas Jungwirth managed to get a hand to the shot, but could not prevent it from finding the back of the net.

LASK had made an impressive attacking start to the season, scoring 16 goals across their opening four competitive matches. As a result, even a late consolation goal would have been valuable ahead of next week’s second leg on home turf.

However, Celtic’s defence remained disciplined until the final whistle. Despite four of their previous six competitive home matches ending in 3-1 scorelines, the Scottish champions successfully shut the door and prevented Die Schwarz-Weissen from finding a way back into the contest.

The job is not finished yet, with the second leg set to take place at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz next week. Nevertheless, Celtic head into the return fixture in a commanding position and will be confident of completing the job and securing their place in the UEFA Champions League league stage.