Austria's LASK Linz Stun Celtic With Five-Goal Comeback in Champions League Qualifying
Austrian side LASK Linz scored five goals in the second leg to knock favourites Celtic Glasgow out of UEFA Champions League qualifying, winning 5:4 on aggregate.
UEFA Champions League qualifying produced a major surprise as Austrian club LASK Linz eliminated Scottish champions Celtic Glasgow from the race for a spot in the tournament's league phase.
Celtic won the first leg 3:0 at home and appeared well on course for the next round. However, in the return leg, which went to extra time, LASK scored five goals to win 5:1, overturning the deficit to clinch the tie 5:4 on aggregate.
The result means LASK Linz has secured a place in the Champions League's revamped league phase, where clubs compete in a single combined table rather than the traditional group format. Celtic, meanwhile, will miss out on Champions League football this season.
Other play-off results
Other qualifying ties were also decided. Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva lost 4:6 on aggregate to Azerbaijan's Sabah Masazır, sending Sabah through to the league phase. Several other second legs — Levski Sofia against AEK Athens, Dinamo Zagreb against Viking Stavanger, and Slovan Bratislava against Celje — were scheduled to be played on August 26.
In the competition's separate league-phase qualifying branch, Norway's Bodø/Glimt beat Netherlands' NEC Nijmegen 6:1 on aggregate, while Turkey's Fenerbahçe and France's Olympique Lyonnais drew 1:1 in their first leg, with the return match set for August 26.
