NOBODY EXPECTED MARTIN O’NEILL TO GO THIS FAR AFTER THE MATCH — HIS VERDICT ON TWO BENFICA STARS IS NOW GOING VIRAL.
Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side endured a difficult night in Lisbon as Benfica produced a dominant performance to secure a 4-1 victory in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The result at the Estádio da Luz was a major blow for Celtic, who had travelled to Portugal hoping to respond after their disappointing opening league-phase defeat to Ferencváros. Instead, Benfica’s quality in attack proved too much for the Scottish champions, with Jhon Durán and Alexander Bah putting the hosts firmly in control before half-time.
O’Neill had already warned before the match that Celtic would have to earn the right to play against a Benfica side capable of controlling possession and punishing mistakes. He urged his players to show confidence when they had the ball and to be prepared for the demands of playing at one of Europe’s intimidating stadiums.
However, the opening stages showed exactly why Benfica were considered such a dangerous opponent.
Jhon Durán opened the scoring from the penalty spot after only five minutes, giving Benfica the perfect start. Alexander Bah then doubled the advantage before Durán struck again to make it 3-0 before the interval. Celtic were left facing a huge challenge after conceding three times in the opening half.
Celtic did show some character after the break. Camilo Durán pulled one goal back in the 63rd minute, briefly giving the visitors hope of producing an extraordinary comeback. But Benfica remained in control and eventually ended Celtic’s hopes when Vangelis Pavlidis scored in the 89th minute to complete a 4-1 victory.
THE TWO BENFICA STARS WHO STOOD OUT
Jhon Durán was unquestionably one of the biggest talking points of the night. The Colombian forward scored twice and constantly threatened Celtic’s defence with his movement, physicality and finishing. His early penalty immediately changed the atmosphere inside the stadium and his second goal put Benfica in an almost unassailable position before half-time.
Another player who attracted attention was Georgiy Sudakov. The Ukrainian midfielder started for Benfica and had been identified before the match as one of the players capable of influencing the contest. Sudakov had spoken ahead of the game about the importance of the fixture and Benfica’s determination to collect another three points in the Europa League.
For O’Neill, the performance underlined just how big the task was. Benfica had entered the match after beating AC Milan 2-0 in their opening European fixture and were already being regarded as one of the stronger teams in the competition.
Celtic’s official report confirmed the final score as Benfica 4, Celtic 1, with Jhon Durán scoring twice, Bah adding another and Pavlidis completing the scoring. Camilo Durán provided Celtic’s only goal.
The defeat leaves Celtic with plenty to consider as their Europa League campaign continues. O’Neill will now have to find a response from his players, particularly defensively, after Benfica exposed Celtic repeatedly during the first half.
For Benfica, however, the night could hardly have gone better. Four goals, another European victory and another statement of their ambition have made them one of the teams to watch as the Europa League league phase develops.
And that is why the reaction surrounding O’Neill’s assessment of Benfica’s key players has attracted so much attention. The Celtic manager knew before kick-off that Benfica possessed serious individual quality — but after witnessing it first-hand in Lisbon, the scale of the challenge became impossible to ignore.
