Celtic captain Callum McGregor says he and his teammates got what they deserved from Tuesday night's collapse against LASK.
The Bhoys led 3-0 in the first leg and extended their lead to four in the first half of the second leg, but they went on to concede the next five goals, including four in normal time and one in extra time to crash out of the Champions League.
It was a shambolic performance and an unacceptable result for Celtic, but as a club, not just as a team, with the board having plenty to answer for.
McGregor's honest verdict
“We got what we deserved,” McGregor told Amazon Prime after the game. “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.
“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. You go 3-0 and you think you’ve got a real chance but when you play like that you can’t have any excuse whatsoever.
“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, we’ve got to suck it up, and now you’ll see what kind of characters are in there.”
That comment about the first leg is particularly interesting. It was surprising to see so many look past the fact LASK had two disallowed goals and missed a clear one-on-one, also forcing a big save from Viljami SInisalo, who had to be in excellent form in Austria to keep the scoreline even below what could have been eight or nine. Although, Martin O'Neill was one of the few who did point out how many problems his team were caused in the first leg.
“When you play like that and you’re so passive and you go 1-0 up in the game and it still doesn’t settle you, then you can’t have any excuse, and that’s on us," McGregor added.
Asked about the club's transfer business and whether the squad is ready, McGregor added: "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.
“It’s as much on the players as anything else to be honest. You can’t lose that game by such a big margin and then start looking for excuses elsewhere. We have to accept that.”
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