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Celtic moved a step nearer to the Champions League group stage after securing a 3-0 win over Austrian champions LASK Linz in the first leg.

LASK began on the front foot and came close to going ahead on more than one occasion, but Celtic went into the interval with a two-goal cushion thanks to stunning strikes from Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Durán.

Durán struck again after the break as the Scottish champions completed an emphatic victory, and they will now head to Austria on Tuesday night with a three-goal advantage.

After only 30 seconds, LASK believed they had made the perfect start. Moses Usor was sent through on the left and smashed a superb half-volley into the top corner, but the effort was ruled out for a marginal offside.

Just a minute later, the Austrian champions threatened once more and really should have gone in front. Samuel Adeniran found himself clean through against Vilijami Sinisalo, but dragged his finish wide with the goal at his mercy, allowing Celtic to survive two major early scares.

Celtic reacted well and Camilo Durán had a couple of promising early looks at goal, though the Colombian was unable to take advantage of either chance.

Both teams kept attacking and creating openings in a match that was being played at a frantic, end-to-end pace. LASK were able to break quickly against Celtic but lacked the final-ball quality needed to score the opener. At the other end, Kasper Høgh also had a few opportunities. His best chance came after a slick Celtic move, but the Dane was stopped by a vital last-ditch tackle.

With 25 minutes played, Parkhead came alive as Benjamin Nygren put Celtic ahead. The ball dropped to the Swedish midfielder on the edge of the area, and he unleashed a magnificent half-volley into the top corner to give Celtic the breakthrough they badly wanted.

LASK then found the net again as Adeniran headed in from close range. But once more, the goal was chalked off for offside. This decision was a little more straightforward than the first, but it served as another warning sign for Celtic.

Celtic answered in superb fashion by scoring a second soon afterwards, and once again it came via a brilliant finish, this time from Durán. The ball broke to the edge of the box and the Colombian, much like Nygren had done minutes earlier, rifled an outstanding left-footed volley into the top-right corner to double the home side’s lead.

The second half began at a slower tempo, with clear chances at a premium. The nearest either side came in the early stages after the restart was Calum McGregor’s attempt from outside the area, which took a deflection before rebounding off the post.

LASK almost pulled one back soon after, with Usor showing excellent composure inside the box to evade Auston Trusty, but his low shot was well saved by Sinisalo in the Celtic goal.

After LASK failed to convert another big chance, Celtic punished them with yet another clinical finish. The hosts combined well, with Nygren laying the ball into Durán’s path, and he blasted another superb left-footed effort into the top corner to put the Scottish champions three up.

Although LASK kept pressing in an attempt to get themselves back into the tie, Celtic coped well with the challenge and closed the match out effectively, restricting the Austrians to very few clear sights of goal late in the game.

The two sides will meet again in the second leg next Tuesday, with Celtic travelling to Linz holding a three-goal lead.