Shay Given criticises Celtic following Martin O’Neill’s LASK blunder

Shay Given has delivered a scathing assessment of Celtic’s Champions League collapse against LASK, questioning Martin O’Neill’s tactical approach during the second leg.

Celtic threw away a 4-0 aggregate advantage, eventually losing the tie 5-4 after extra time and suffering another painful exit at the qualifying stage.

Speaking on Premier Sports after the match, former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Given praised LASK for their performance but felt Celtic made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves, particularly after the Austrian side scored early in the second half.

Given was surprised that O’Neill did not change his approach once the pressure began to build.

“You’re inviting them on,” Given said. “You concede goals at the start of the second half and you keep trying to play out.”

He suggested Celtic should have abandoned their possession-based approach temporarily and played more directly.

“I’m surprised with Martin that he didn’t go, ‘Wait a minute lads, the crowd’s up, the pressure’s coming heavily onto us. Let’s just knock it up to Hogh and play it ugly at times, be more compact.’”

LASK’s second goal, which arrived in the 58th minute, further lifted the home crowd and changed the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Given added: “It’s hard to stop that, we’ve seen that before on European nights.”

The pundit also pointed to Celtic’s ongoing struggles in European qualifying, describing it as something of a “hoodoo”for the Scottish champions.

Celtic struggled to get Hogh involved

Kasper Hogh endured a frustrating evening up front, with the striker receiving very little service from his teammates.

Although Hogh was involved in the physical battle, Celtic’s insistence on building from the back meant he was largely isolated for long periods.

Camilo Duran, who had been one of Celtic’s standout performers in the first leg, was also unable to influence the game from the flank.

O’Neill eventually attempted to strengthen the midfield by introducing Luke McCowan for Mika Baur, but the change failed to give Celtic greater control.

McCowan struggled to make an impact and reportedly surrendered possession 19 times during his time on the pitch.

His performance subsequently attracted heavy criticism from supporters, with the midfielder later deactivating his Instagram account following the backlash.

For Celtic, the collapse represented another painful European qualifying failure and raised serious questions over how a four-goal aggregate lead could be surrendered.