McGregor slams 'scared' Celtic after 5-1 collapse costs club £20m Champions League place

Callum McGregor delivered a scathing verdict on his own Celtic side after they surrendered a 4-0 aggregate lead to lose 5-1 to LASK in Austria, crashing out of Champions League qualifying and costing the club at least £20 million.

McGregor had put Celtic in an apparently unassailable position when he struck from 18 yards in the 21st minute to make it 4-0 on aggregate. What followed was a stunning collapse that sent LASK through after extra time and consigned Celtic to the Europa League.

“We got what we deserved,” McGregor said. “I thought we were so passive. All night. We actually looked scared to go and win the game, and when you are 3-0 up it’s psychological.”

The 33-year-old captain refused to look for excuses elsewhere, acknowledging that Celtic had not been convincing even in the first leg. “To be honest I didn’t think we were that good in the first leg either. We scored at good times and kind of got away with it,” he said. “You can’t lose that game by such a big margin and then start looking for excuses elsewhere. We have to accept that.”

McGregor also called on the squad to show its character in the aftermath. “We have to suck it up, apologise to the supporters and the club because there is no way that we should lose that game. We’ve got to stick together, and now you’ll see what kind of characters are in there.”

When pressed on whether the squad was simply not strong enough, McGregor paused before conceding: “I guess not, no. Everyone’s happy for two or three weeks and then you fall at a big hurdle, these questions are going to get asked.”

Manager Martin O’Neill was equally candid, ranking the defeat among the most painful of his tenure. “I would say absolutely, yes,” he said. “I’d put it down before the disappointment of losing the Uefa Cup final in 2003, but it’s so, so disappointing. We should have been out of sight by half-time.”

O’Neill pointed to two missed chances and two goals conceded either side of half-time as the turning points. “We give them a lifeline just before half-time and then one just after it. And they come roaring back. I’m disappointed that we’ve conceded the goals in the manner which we did.”

The defeat is the latest in a series of Champions League qualifying failures for Celtic, and the club’s slow start to the summer transfer window is likely to face renewed scrutiny as they prepare for the Europa League instead.