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“A HUGE MISTAKE TO ALLOW HIM PLAY” — MARTIN O’NEIL TELLS CELTIC STAR HIS CAREER IS GONE AND HE WILL NEVER PLAY AGAIN UNDER HIM AFTER LATE ACTIONS VS LASK
Celtic suffered a stunning 5–1 defeat to LASK at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, throwing away their advantage and crashing out of the play-off tie 5–4 on aggregate after an extraordinary night of drama.
The Hoops arrived in Austria with hopes of completing the job, but what followed was a disastrous night that saw Celtic concede five goals and suffer a collapse that left manager Martin O’Neil visibly furious on the touchline.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor gave his side the perfect start in the 21st minute when he found the back of the net, giving the visitors an early advantage and increasing confidence among the travelling supporters
However, LASK quickly responded.
Moses Usor equalised in the 32nd minute before Robert Ljubičić completed the turnaround just three minutes after the restart
Suddenly, Celtic were under enormous pressure. The Austrian side continued pushing forward, and their persistence was rewarded again in the 58th minute when Stéphan Adeniran scored to put LASK further ahead.
Celtic attempted to regain control of the match, but their defensive problems continued to cause serious concerns.
As the minutes passed, O’Neil became increasingly animated on the touchline.
The Celtic manager could be seen angrily gesturing towards his players, demanding concentration and organisation as LASK continued to threaten.
Then came another devastating blow.
Florian Flecker scored in the first minute of stoppage time, sending the Raiffeisen Arena into wild celebrations and forcing the tie into extra time.
Celtic had just minutes to save themselves, but LASK remained relentless.
In the 109th minute, Adeniran struck again to complete his brace and effectively put the tie beyond Celtic.
The final whistle eventually confirmed one of the most painful results of the night for the Scottish giants.
But while LASK celebrated their remarkable comeback, attention quickly turned towards Celtic defender Auston Trusty.
The defender found himself at the centre of criticism following his actions during the closing stages, with O’Neil visibly furious from the technical area.
The Celtic manager appeared particularly unhappy with Trusty as the pressure intensified and the team desperately attempted to prevent LASK from scoring again.
O’Neil was furious with the defender’s decision-making and believed his actions had contributed to Celtic’s collapse.
After the final whistle, the Celtic boss allegedly made his feelings perfectly clear on the touch line.
“Allowing him to play was a huge mistake. After what happened tonight, he will never play for me again.”
The statement sent shockwaves through the Celtic camp. O’Neil’s words suggested that he had completely lost faith in the defender following the events of the match.
The manager had already shown his frustration on the touchline, but the post-match message took his anger to another level.
For Trusty, the situation could now represent a major setback. The defender will face questions about his performance and his decision-making during a night when Celtic desperately needed their backline to remain disciplined.
Supporters were understandably furious after watching their team surrender control of the tie.
McGregor’s 21st-minute goal had given Celtic the perfect platform, but the team ultimately failed to protect their advantage.
LASK scored five times through Usor, Ljubičić, Adeniran, Flecker and Adeniran again, turning what appeared to be a manageable situation into a nightmare for the visitors.
The result will also place increased pressure on O’Neil and his defensive options.
The Celtic manager must now decide how to rebuild confidence within his squad after such a damaging defeat.
Trusty’s future could be one of the first major decisions facing him.
If O’Neil believes the defender’s actions were unacceptable, Trusty could find himself dropped from the starting XI or even completely removed from the manager’s plans.
For Celtic supporters, however, the disappointment goes far beyond one player.
The club had every opportunity to control the tie but allowed LASK to gain momentum, score repeatedly and eventually complete one of the most dramatic comebacks of the night.
The final score read LASK 5–1 Celtic, with the aggregate score finishing 5–4 in favour of the Austrian side.
Celtic are now left to pick up the pieces after a result that could have significant consequences for the squad.
And with O’Neil telling Trusty that allowing him to play was a “huge mistake,” all eyes will now be on whether the defender gets another opportunity under the Celtic boss.
For Trusty, the message could hardly have been clearer.
His future at Celtic may now be hanging by a thread.
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