Benfica ran out comfortable 4-1 winners over Celtic at the Estádio da Luz on Thursday night, with former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran scoring twice either side of an Alexander Bah volley to settle the Europa League league-phase tie before half-time.
Marco Silva’s side were three goals up at the break after picking apart a nervous Celtic defence time and again, and although Martin O’Neill’s team improved sharply after the interval and pulled one back through Camilo Duran, substitute Vangelis Pavlidis added a late fourth to cap a comprehensive night for the Portuguese club.
The result leaves Benfica third in the standings with two wins from two, while Celtic sit 34th of 36 teams after losing their opening two league-phase fixtures.
A nightmare start at the Estádio da Luz
Celtic trailed inside five minutes. Dane Murray committed a careless foul on Duran, and the Colombian striker dusted himself down to dink a delightful penalty past goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo.
The second goal came from more sloppy defending. Sebastian Tounekti failed to track Bah’s run into the Celtic box, and the Danish defender found the bottom corner. It was almost three straight from kick-off when Duran fired into the side netting, but Celtic failed to heed the warning. Minutes later, Juan Prestianni played Duran through and the striker beat Sinisalo from a tight angle.
It was alarmingly easy for a classy Benfica outfit to cut through the visitors. The hosts finished the match with 26 shots at goal, 21 of them coming in the opposition box, and Celtic were fortunate not to be further behind at the interval.
O’Neill’s half-time changes sparked a response
O’Neill withdrew club-record signing Kasper Hogh and Tounekti at the break as he searched for a spark, and the introduction of Haissem Hassan and Callum Osmand had the desired effect. Hassan shot straight at Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin and then teed up Camilo Duran, whose brave header got Celtic on the scoresheet.
The Scottish champions pushed for a second goal that would have given them genuine hope. Duran struck a post with a left-footed drive, and Osmand had a shot well saved by Trubin. Benfica remained dangerous at the other end, with Andreas Schjelderup rattling the woodwork, before Pavlidis scuffed a shot past the flat-footed Sinisalo late on to restore the three-goal margin.
O’Neill refused to be downbeat about the second-half showing. “Last thing you want to do is concede so early on. We could’ve capitulated, but I thought the second-half performance was terrific. We created chance after chance,” he told TNT Sports. “The second-half performance gives me the determination… I think we can still qualify. We can still do it.”
“We came roaring back, the subs came on and did brilliantly. We could’ve scored a number of goals. It changed because two wide players really wanted to get at people,” he added. “I accept on the break they could have scored themselves, as they did with their fourth goal.”
A familiar pattern for the Scottish champions
This was Celtic’s fourth defeat in five matches in all competitions. Before the international break, Rangers beat them home and away and Ferencváros came out on top at Parkhead in the Europa League opener. An improved display at Motherwell on Sunday, which returned Celtic to the top of the Scottish Premiership, had offered hope the wobble was over, but those problems resurfaced quickly in Lisbon.
There was also frustration over Hogh’s continued wait for goals. The Danish striker has now failed to score in 10 of his first 11 Celtic appearances, and former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan, speaking on BBC Sportsound, said he would pick Camilo Duran ahead of Hogh as the central striking option every day of the week.
Supporters had travelled to Lisbon in numbers, making the pilgrimage to the scene of Celtic’s most famous triumph in 1967, but the occasion turned into another difficult European night for the club.
What O’Neill said before kick-off
Speaking at the Estádio da Luz on the eve of the match, O’Neill had acknowledged the scale of the task. “We’re looking forward to the game. It’s a big match for us,” he said. “Benfica got a really good result against AC Milan in the opening game of this league phase, and it’ll naturally be a tough game, but that’s the nature of it.”
He added that Benfica, who beat AC Milan in the San Siro on matchday one, “would be one of the favourites to win this competition”, while stressing his own side’s ambition. “Our ambition is to try and qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, which is sometime in February, so we’ve got some time in which to do it.”
On team news, Cameron Carter-Vickers was ruled out with a strain, though Auston Trusty was fit and available. Finn Viljami Sinisalo started in goal, with Colby Donovan at right back, Kieran Tierney at left back and Trusty partnering Dane Murray at centre half. Captain Callum McGregor anchored a midfield that also included German international Mika Baur and Oli Sørensen, handed a surprise start ahead of Benjamin Nygren, who was named among the substitutes. Tounekti and Camilo Duran flanked Hogh in attack.
What comes next for Celtic
The schedule does not let up. Celtic host Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, a big test before they return to European action with back-to-back home fixtures against Celta Vigo and Beşiktaş. O’Neill’s side need points from those games if his pre-match belief that they can still reach the knockout stages in February is to hold.
Benfica, meanwhile, march on with a perfect record and a growing confidence that O’Neill himself flagged before kick-off. “Benfica have got a lot of good players, and they will also have gained a great deal of confidence from starting off the competition by winning in Milan,” he said. “That’s not easy.”
FAQ
What was the final score between Benfica and Celtic?
Benfica beat Celtic 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz in the UEFA Europa League league phase. Jhon Duran scored twice, Alexander Bah added a volley, and substitute Vangelis Pavlidis scored the fourth. Camilo Duran’s header was Celtic’s goal.
Where do Benfica and Celtic stand in the Europa League league phase?
Benfica are third in the standings with two wins from two, having beaten AC Milan in their opening game. Celtic are 34th of 36 teams after losing their first two league-phase matches, including the matchday-one defeat to Ferencváros at Parkhead.
Can Celtic still qualify for the Europa League knockout stages?
Manager Martin O’Neill believes so. After the defeat in Lisbon he said the second-half performance gave him the determination that Celtic “can still qualify”, pointing to the knockout stages in February and back-to-back home games against Celta Vigo and Beşiktaş ahead.
Who started for Celtic against Benfica?
Viljami Sinisalo started in goal behind Colby Donovan, Auston Trusty, Dane Murray and Kieran Tierney. Captain Callum McGregor, Mika Baur and surprise inclusion Oli Sørensen formed the midfield, with Seb Tounekti, Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh in attack. Benjamin Nygren was benched and Cameron Carter-Vickers was out with a strain.