Celtic suffered a 4-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon, but a much-improved second-half display, sparked by the introduction of Callum Osmand, prevented the match from being a complete write-off for Martin O'Neill.
The Hoops were heading for a Europa League whitewash when the Portuguese side raced into a 3-0 first-half lead. Jhon Duran opened the scoring with an audacious Panenka penalty after Dane Murray's sloppy foul, and he added his second after Alexander Bah had doubled the lead following more soft defending.
Half-time changes spark improvement
O'Neill responded at the break by rejigging his forward line. Kasper Hogh and Sebastian Tounekti were replaced by Osmand and Haissem Hassan. Osmand went off the left with Camilo Duran moving through the middle, and Celtic were rewarded with an improved display as Hassan and Duran combined to give them a lifeline.
But the match ended on a sour note as more feeble defending cost Celtic a fourth, with Vangelis Pavlidis racing through to restore the three-goal lead.
Player ratings from Lisbon
Viljami Sinisalo – 4: Really poor positioning for the third goal and flat-footed for the fourth. But it was shooting practice for Benfica for long spells.
Colby Donovan – 4: Couldn't get near Gianluca Prestianni for the most part. A harsh learning curve.
Dane Murray – 3: Really sloppy to concede an early penalty and caught badly out of position for the third and fourth.
Auston Trusty – 5: Didn't step up as the leader at the heart of the defence in the absence of Scales and Carter-Vickers.
Kieran Tierney – 6: The only Celtic player who looked like winning his individual battles in the first half.
Callum McGregor – 4: Couldn't get a handle on the midfield and looked off the pace in a big game.
Mika Baur – 5: Quieter than recently, but offered a threat on the counter with his driving runs.
Camilo Duran – 6: A bad fit on the right wing in the first half, but much more involved after moving central. Scored with a darting run to head home Hassan's cross, and hit the post.
Oliver Sorensen – 4: Pushed high up, lacking quality on the ball and often caught running about when Benfica had possession. Hooked for Nygren midway through the second half.
Sebastian Tounekti – 3: Let Bah run off him too easily for the second goal and offered little going the other way.
Kasper Hogh – 4: Hooked at half-time after a largely non-existent influence. Hit the post from about two yards out at 2-0.
Substitutes
Haissem Hassan (Tounekti, '45) – 6: Offered life and energy and set up Duran's goal.
Callum Osmand (Hogh, '45) – 6: A new role off the left, looked lively and his pace caused Benfica problems.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Baur, '57) – 5: Teed up a great chance for Duran which should have made it 3-2.
Benjamin Nygren (Sorensen, '57) – 4: The least involved of the attacking subs.
Jordan Lotomba (Donovan, '77) – 3: A late relief sub to give Donovan a rest.
