Celtic star Luke McCowan deletes Instagram after painful LASK defeat

Luke McCowan endured a difficult evening as Celtic suffered a dramatic Champions League exit against LASK, with the midfielder facing heavy criticism from supporters after the match.

McCowan was introduced from the bench in the 71st minute, replacing Mika Baur, with Celtic holding a 3-1 lead on the night and a four-goal advantage on aggregate. However, the Austrian side produced a remarkable comeback to eliminate the Scottish champions after extra time.

The former Dundee midfielder became one of the main targets of criticism from Celtic supporters following his performance. Statistics circulated on social media showed McCowan recorded 44 touches but lost possession 19 times, while also attempting four unsuccessful dribbles and picking up a yellow card.

It was ultimately a night to forget for Celtic, with manager Martin O’Neill taking responsibility for the collapse. McCowan was certainly not solely responsible, however, as costly individual mistakes from Auston Trusty and Benjamin Nygren also contributed to LASK’s extraordinary comeback.

The situation became even more painful after Callum McGregor had put Celtic ahead on the night, giving them what appeared to be a commanding 4-0 aggregate advantage.

However, LASK turned the tie around and Celtic eventually crashed out after 120 minutes of action.

McCowan subsequently faced a wave of criticism online, with the abuse reportedly becoming severe enough for the 28-year-old to delete his Instagram account. While the midfielder had a night to forget, the result was a collective Celtic failure rather than the responsibility of one player alone.