Kasper Schmeichel revealed how Celtic's Champions League agony was made even more unbearable by having to stew in it overnight in Austria. The Hoops saw a four-goal lead over LASK obliterated and with it, their hopes of qualifying for the lucrative league phase as they were annihilated 5-1 by the Austrian champions and knocked out 5-4 on aggregate.
None of the Celtic contingent seemed to be in a rush to leave the Raffeisen Arena - as much as they would have wanted to after a collapse for the ages - which is at odds with the usual post-match chaos on European away nights. Linz airport operates a night flight curfew from 9pm until 3.30am between Mondays and Fridays.
Curfew forces overnight stay
Schmeichel explained how not flying home until the next day means bad European nights can really take their toll on a squad. "One of the things that's really, really bad tonight is that when you play in some countries, like Austria, you're not allowed to fly home after the game," he told Amazon Prime Sports. "So they're going to have to sit here, in the hotel for one night."
"As you know after games, it can be difficult to sleep so you're stewing in it until 5AM and it's just festering. It's really important in those hours that all the frustration, all the talk and all that gets out."
Regrouping and fan backlash
"Because once they get back to Glasgow, they're going to have to regroup and it's going to be a monumental task for themselves and to get the fans back onside. You saw at the end it wasn't pleasant scenes and we saw what happened last season. It's not pleasant to be a player in that environment either."
"If Celtic want to have success, which they still can do this season - I personally think that the message should be that we know have to go and try to win the Europa League. That's the type of thing that Celtic need to be doing."
Transfer impact and player concerns
Schmeichel also warned of the knock-on effect this result could have on transfers during the last week of the window as he laid out what the Europa League schedule means for players off the pitch. He added: "This is the fear," he said. "I experienced it last season, what a night like this can do in terms of not qualifying for the biggest tournament, particularly this one, is really, really sore."
"This is going to have huge ramifications. The Champions League is unique and it's different. But the Europa League doesn't have the same prestige and it impacts players' lives. Players that were maybe looking to sign, that could have an impact on it. When you're playing Thursday-Sunday, you're away Wednesday night, Thursday night and then Friday and Saturday for the weekend games. Players are away from their families and they consider those sorts of things."
