What are LASK thinking after Champions League playoff first leg
Celtic go into next week’s playoff second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead after an impressive win against the Austrian champions LASK on Wednesday night. Fans will be delighted with the performance and the result that puts them in pole position to qualify for the group stages of this year’s Champions League.
LASK will be left wondering what could have been if they took some of the chances that came their way during the match.
Celtic DNA looks at some of the comments from the Austrian club following the match at Celtic Park this week.
What the LASK manager said about Celtic
“It feels very harsh, I’d say. Usually, when you lose 3-0, you think the visiting team never stood a chance, but in this case I really have to give the team credit; they played a really good game. The only thing you could fault them for is that with those chances, you have to score—not just one, but two or three goals. That was perhaps the biggest shortcoming in the match—or rather, the lack of efficiency in their finishing.
I think the little details made the difference in the loss, because you have to defend the second ball better in those situations where the opponent got into the box and we didn’t react quickly enough. They scored from their shots and that’s why we fell behind, even though we actually had the better opportunities. But that’s football; the lads have to learn from this. We won’t bury our heads in the sand, though—we still have a home game coming up and will do everything we can to pull off the impossible.”
Translated from CANAL+ Sport Austria Youtube
What the LASK Captain thought of the first leg
LASK Captain Sascha Horvath indicated after the match that he still believed the Austrian champions could turn around the 3-0 deficit to beat Celtic to the Champions League group stage. Speaking after the first leg, Horvath described the result as a “very bitter defeat” and argued that he didn’t think the result reflected the performance his side had put into the game. He was in no mood to concede the tie and instead promised his side would do everything they can to turn the tie around when Celtic visit Austria on Tuesday.
Summary
The LASK manager and captain clearly think they could have taken something from the game on Wednesday night but they’ve left themselves a lot to do in the second leg. Celtic’s finishing was outstanding in the game at Celtic Park and they will think they can score first away in Austria Tuesday night. If they manage to score I think that will wrap up the tie and qualification for this year’s Champions League.
All views expressed on Celtic DNA are personal opinions and are for commentary and discussion purposes only
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