Celtic lost 4-1 to Benfica in a Europa League match on Thursday. Despite the convincing defeat, manager Martin O’Neill stated that he believes his side can still progress to the knockout stage.
The loss is part of a worrying run for Celtic, who have lost four of their last five matches. Every significant fixture this season — both meetings with Rangers and the two European fixtures — has ended in defeat. After two matches, Celtic sits in 34th place out of 36 teams in the competition.
Benfica secured the victory after just four minutes. Dane Murray was brought down by Jhon Duran, winning a penalty, and the home side then doubled their lead when Sebastian Touneku allowed Alexander Bah to slip past him for the second goal. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was easily beaten for the third goal, which was scored by Duran. Camilo Duran reduced the scoreline after the interval, hitting the frame, while Vangelis Pavlidis scored Celtic’s fourth goal late in the match. Benfica also hit the woodwork twice.
Captain Callum McGregor stated that Celtic had not helped themselves in the first half, with unforced errors leading to the second and third goals. The Celtic defence was troubled by Gianluca Prestianni and Duran, while Cameron Carter-Vickers did not play due to injury.
Kasper Høgh, Celtic’s record signing, was substituted at half-time. Hønh had not scored in 10 of his 11 appearances since arriving in the summer. Scott Allen stated that he would choose Duran over Hønh, while O’Neill said he believes Duran’s best position is through the middle, noting that Duran has played wide in his previous clubs.
