Celtic squandered a 4-0 aggregate lead to lose 5-4 on aggregate to Austrian club LASK and lose a valuable place in the group. UEFA Champions League.
Captain Callum McGregor put them ahead early on the night and they look to be on their way after last week’s 3-0 win in Glasgow.
But Martin O’Neill’s side were pushed back and against the ropes for the entire second half as LASK had 39 shots on target.
They found a fourth in the 90th minute to force extra time, and Samuel Adeniran then scored to secure a place in the league stage that could be worth up to £40m.
There was also time for a penalty for the hosts but Adeniran was denied.
Celtic exited this stage last season by losing to Kairat from Kazakhstan, but this defeat will be more painful given their superiority in the confrontation.
Now, a place in the Europa League seems to be tempting Celtic and rue what could have been.
However, the winner will join the league stage draw on August 27. The first round of the Champions League will be held on September 8.
Casper Huge went close twice in the first 15 minutes as Celtic threatened on the break but the striker failed to connect with a low cross and then curled a shot too close to goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth.
The hosts shot a ball that hit the post from a long distance before McGregor scored the first goal.
Yang Hyun-joon made all the moves from the left side and played the ball back to his captain, who slotted it in with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
That left the home side 4-0 down on aggregate but Headers would not let up and Musa Osor gave them some hope with a brilliant finish in a fluid move before half-time.
This gave confidence to fans and players alike, and that belief only increased at the start of the second half when Robert Ljubicic scored from 20 yards.
This made the aggregate score 4-2 in favor of Celtic and nerves were very frayed. The unthinkable seemed possible when Adeniran scored a stunning third goal for the hosts from long range.
The score was 4-3 on aggregate with a full half-hour to go and Adeniran then hit the underside of the crossbar with Celtic in complete decline.
Celtic were pinned at the back and LASK’s fourth goal seemed almost inevitable – and it came with time ticking down after 90 minutes.
Veljami Sinisalo made a fine save from a superb shot but Florian Flicker was on hand to head home and force extra time.
The first period was uneventful but Adeniran scored his second goal from 25 yards out to slot into the bottom corner and put LASK ahead on aggregate with 11 minutes left in the tie.
The dangerous American then saw a penalty kick saved well by Sinisalo but it didn’t matter as LASK won.
An Azerbaijani team founded only nine years ago will participate in the Champions League alongside them.
Sabah was just seconds away from elimination against Israeli champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva when substitute Taylor Mutalimov scored in the final minute of stoppage time to force extra time.
Sabah’s Gabonese striker Orfi Mbena scored with a header in the 101st minute and Joey Lance Michaels added a goal in the 115th minute to make the score 5-2 in the second leg and the score 6-4 on aggregate.
