Celtic Take First Bold Step as Champions League Play-Off First Legs Deliver Thrills
Celtic and Bodø/Glimt secured commanding advantages, while three ties ended level as the UEFA Champions League play-off first legs concluded.
Celtic have taken a significant step towards securing a place in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase after producing one of the standout performances of the play-off first legs.
The Scottish champions defeated LASK 3-0 at Celtic Park on Wednesday, putting themselves in a commanding position ahead of next week’s return fixture in Austria.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring for Celtic before Camilo Duran struck twice to complete a convincing victory.
Duran has now scored six goals in his last six Champions League appearances, including qualifying.
Bodø/Glimt also strengthened their chances of progressing after recording an impressive 3-1 away victory over N.E.C. in the Netherlands.
Sondre Brunstad Fet and Andreas Helmersen gave the Norwegian side a two-goal advantage before Haitam Aleesami added a third shortly after half-time. Clement Bischoff scored a late consolation for N.E.C.
Elsewhere, Slovan Bratislava and Celje played out a 1-1 draw, while Hapoel Beer-Sheva came from behind to defeat Sabah 2-1.
The first-leg programme had begun on Tuesday, with all three matches ending in draws.
AEK Athens held Levski Sofia to a goalless draw in Bulgaria
Dinamo Zagreb surrendered an early two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 with Viking.
Fenerbahçe and Lyon also finished 1-1 in Istanbul, leaving the tie evenly poised ahead of the return leg in France.
With everything still to play for in several ties, the second legs will determine the teams that advance to the Champions League league phase.
Celtic will enter their second leg with the strongest advantage after their 3-0 victory, while Bodø/Glimt will also be confident of completing the job after their away success.
However, the remaining ties remain delicately poised, ensuring another dramatic round of Champions League qualifying when the return fixtures are played next week.
Champions League Play-Off First Legs: Results at a Glance
Tuesday, August 18
Levski Sofia 0-0 AEK Athens
GNK Dinamo 2-2 Viking
Fenerbahçe 1-1 Lyon
Wednesday, August 19
Celtic 3-0 LASK
N.E.C. 1-3 Bodø/Glimt
Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Celje
Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-1 Sabah
Second-Leg Fixtures
Tuesday, August 25
LASK vs Celtic
Bodø/Glimt vs N.E.C.
Sabah vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Wednesday, August 26
Celje vs Slovan Bratislava
AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia
Viking vs GNK Dinamo
Lyon vs Fenerbahçe
