Celtic, Hearts, Hibs, Motherwell, and Rangers all travelled across Europe with their European futures on the line, and whilst there was heartbreak for three of the five, two managed to secure a place in the league phase.
Celtic Suffer Historic Collapse in Austria
The Hoops travelled to Austria with one foot already in the Champions League after a convincing 3-0 victory over LASK in the first leg.
They then looked to have put the tie beyond doubt when Callum McGregor’s deflected effort put them 4-0 ahead on aggregate early in the second half.
However, what followed was one of the most dramatic collapses in the club’s European history.
LASK pulled one back through Moses Usor after a mistake from Benjamin Nygren, before the Austrians continued to pile on the pressure. Celtic struggled to regain control and were eventually pegged back to 4-3 on aggregate after the break.
The home side completed the comeback late in normal time through a Florian Flecker strike, sending the game into extra time.
Celtic were unable to recover, and Samuel Adeniran completed the remarkable turnaround as LASK scored again to win 5-1 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
The defeat means Celtic miss out on the Champions League league phase for the second consecutive season, although they will drop into the Europa League instead.
Heroic Hearts Win Penalty Shootout
Hearts too travelled to Austria, arriving in Vienna knowing that they needed a result against Rapid Wien after a 2-2 draw at Tynecastle in the first leg.
The Jambos fell behind in the first half when Ercan Kara turned home a deflected strike to give the hosts the lead, before their task became even harder when midfielder Tomas Magnússon was sent off in the second half.
Despite being down to ten men, Hearts produced a remarkable response.
Pierre Landry Kabore equalised before Calvin Miller hobbled forward and fired home to put the visitors ahead in extra time, only for Rapid to level again with just minutes remaining.
The 2-2 draw meant the tie finished 4-4 on aggregate and went to penalties.
Beau Reus proved to be the hero, saving two penalties as Hearts won the shootout 4-3 and secured their place in the Conference League league phase.
Hibs Fall at the Final Hurdle
Edinburgh rivals Hibernian were also looking to secure their place in the Conference League as they welcomed Belgian side Gent to Easter Road.
After a goalless draw and a strong outing in Belgium, the tie was finely balanced heading into the second leg.
Despite falling behind, two second half goals from Jason Kerr and Felix Passlack meant that the Hibees looked to have done enough to progress.
But as the game entered its closing stages, Gent struck late to turn the tie on its head.
A calamitous end followed, as a Miguel Chaiwa own goal and red card saw the Belgians leave the capital as 3-2 winners.
It brought an unfortunate end to Hibs’ European campaign, despite a strong showing throughout the qualifying rounds.
Motherwell Beaten by Freiburg
Motherwell undoubtedly faced the toughest task of the five Scottish clubs, travelling to Germany to try and overturn a 3-1 deficit against last season’s Europa League finalists Freiburg.
The Steelmen needed a huge comeback but found themselves behind early on as Derry Scherhant gave Freiburg the lead.
Motherwell did manage to respond after Enzo Longelo’s strike squeezed through the goalkeeper, but the hosts quickly regained control after the break.
Goals from Igor Matanović, Cyriaque Irié and Keisuke Gotō eventually gave the German side a 4-1 victory on the night and a 7-2 aggregate win.
Despite the heavy defeat, Motherwell can look back positively on a European campaign that saw them reach the play-off round after beating HJK Helsinki and Havnar Bóltfelag.
Rangers Sent Packing on Penalties
Derek McInnes’ Rangers also saw their European journey come to a sorry end as they travelled to Czechia to face Jablonec.
The Gers held a 1-0 advantage from the first leg but were unable to protect it, with the hosts scoring the only goal of the game to level the tie on aggregate in the 73rd minute.
In a game that lacked real quality, neither side could find a winner, forcing the tie to penalties.
Unfortunately for Rangers, Jablonec prevailed 4-3 in the shootout, bringing their already underwhelming European campaign crashing down.
With Hearts the only Scottish club left in the Conference League and Celtic dropping into the Europa League, it was ultimately a poor week for Scottish football on the continent.
Featured Image Credit: Werner100359 via Wikimedia Commons
3rd year journalism and sport student at the University of Stirling, with a particular interest in music and sports. Sport editor for Brig Newspaper.
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