LASK's hopes looked to be dead.
The Austrian team lost 3-0 to Celtic in the first leg, and the Scottish giants scored early in Austria, taking a 1-0 lead and a 4-0 aggregate advantage thanks to a 21st-minute goal from Callum McGregor.
But LASK completed the largest comeback in UEFA Champions League qualifying playoff history, scoring four goals between the 32nd and 90th minutes of the match, and then getting a goal in extra time from American forward Samuel Adeniran, who took advantage of a giveaway and scored from outside the box in the 109th minute.
SAMUEL ADENIRAN GIVES LASK THE LEAD 5-4 ON AGGREGATE AFTER BEING DOWN 4-0 AFTER 22 MINUTES 🤯🤯🤯
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 25, 2026
INSANITY IN AUSTRIA 😳 pic.twitter.com/p5iNchSsOm
The winner was Adeniran's second goal of the night.
After Moses Usor scored in the 32 minute, LASK showed renewed fight after the half. Usor set up Robert Ljubicic in the 48th minute and Adeniran scored from outside the area to make it 3-1 before Celtic manager Martin O'Neill started going to his bench to make changes he hoped would slow the momentum.
AMERICAN SAMUEL ADENIRAN WITH A GOLAZO TO BRING LASK WITHIN A GOAL OF CELTIC ON AGGREGATE IN THE UCL PLAYOFF FINAL 🤯 🇺🇸
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 25, 2026
Watch the Second Leg of the UEFA Champions League Playoffs on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/sYlToQhVep
It could've been a hat trick for Adeniran, but he failed to convert a penalty in the 115th minute that would've given him three goals on the night.
Overall, LASK ended up taking 40 shots as it battered the goal in search of the turnaround that eventually came.
Who is Samuel Adeniran, the LASK forward from the United States?
A Houston native, Adeniran moved abroad as a teenager to seek a pro career but found regular playing time when he returned home to play in the USL Championship, first for the Tacoma Defiance, then for San Antonio FC, with whom he won the 2022 league title. That helped him earn a move to St. Louis City SC. He later played for the Philadelphia Union before signing with LASK at the beginning of 2025.
He helped the Austrian club to the Austrian Bundesliga title, scoring 10 goals — good for second at the club — and now has written more history, helping fire LASK into the Champions League league stage for the first time.
How many times has Celtic missed the UEFA Champions League league stage?
It is the second year in a row in which Celtic has fallen short in this round. In 2025, the Bhoys were unable to score in either leg of a tie with FC Kairat of Kazakstan and lost in the penalty shootout. The year before that, Celtic made the next round and fell to Bayern Munich.
LASK now awaits its next opponents, with the draw taking place on Aug. 27. Celtic falls into the UEFA Europa League, Europe's second-tier club tournament.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American forward powers largest comeback in UEFA Champions League qualifying playoff history
