Duran Double Puts Celtic in Command of Champions League Play-off Against LASK

Camilo Duran scored twice as Celtic beat Austria's LASK in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at Celtic Park on 19 August 2026.

The Champions League play-off round is the final gateway to the group stage of Europe's premier club competition — win over two legs and you're in the tournament proper. Celtic, hosting the opening leg in Glasgow, faced an LASK side who arrived as Austrian champions (RTE).

Duran's first goal was a volley struck into the top corner — the kind of finish that leaves a goalkeeper rooted. His second was a curled effort that sailed past LASK goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth, who had already denied the striker once from close range when Nygren's clever reverse pass from a free-kick set up a shot Jungwirth managed to keep out (BBC Sport; Independent).

That earlier save mattered because it kept LASK within reach at a moment when the match could have slipped away from them. When Duran found his range, though, there was little Jungwirth could do. Celtic's official match report described the performance as an "impressive Euro win" (Celtic FC).

The two-goal cushion gives Celtic a tangible advantage heading into the second leg in Austria. LASK, as domestic champions, earned their place in this round by winning their own league — they are not a side to be written off on home soil. But the away goals rule no longer applies in the Champions League, so Celtic's lead stands as a straightforward margin. Progress to the group stage would bring guaranteed matches against Europe's elite and the financial and sporting weight that comes with them.

For the Celtic supporters who filled Celtic Park, the night offered something simpler: a centre forward in full flow, two goals that will be replayed all week, and a European campaign that suddenly feels alive.