Celtic fell to a 4-1 defeat against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz, leaving the Scottish Premiership champions with no points from their opening two Europa League league phase matches. The outcome was widely expected, but that did not make it an easier watch for Celtic fans.
Benfica's dominance from the start
Benfica, who have designs on winning the Europa League, proved far too strong even after Marco Silva made six changes. The gap in quality and finances between the sides is not such an easy excuse these days, with Hoops fans having pointed to Club Brugge, a club with a comparable turnover and wage bill, going to Milan and beating Inter 4-3.
Not winning in the Portuguese capital is far from a disgrace, but punters want to see their team compete, which is hard to argue when you are 3-0 down in a little over 35 minutes. Celtic will have easier games during the league phase, but so far there is little evidence they will cope much better unless there is a major improvement.
World media verdict
Portugal's Record wrote: "In the chronicle of Benfica-Celtic: the imperial eagle only felt tickles. Five goals and five shots hitting the woodwork added excitement to the game. Benfica once again displayed superior football."
A Bola described the opening goal: "The floodgates of Celtic's predictable dam against Benfica's attacking onslaught suddenly opened just four minutes into the game, when Murray made a mistake in a clearance inside the area, failing to notice Durán coming from behind to take the ball from him, and kicked the Colombian's leg with a powerful kick. A clear penalty, Durán converting with a Panenka, opening the way for the Benfica river to surge forward."
Sapo noted: "Under Marco Silva's guidance, Benfica delivered a solid performance, while Celtic's manager, Martin O'Neill, saw his team struggle to keep up with the pace set by the Eagles. The match was attended by 58,870 fans."
L'Equipe highlighted Jhon Duran's performance: "The Colombian (22 years old) played a key role in his team's victory against Celtic Glasgow (4-1). Having not scored a brace for 521 days, since a Saudi Pro League match against Al-Okhdood (9-0), he started the evening by converting a penalty (5th minute), then doubled his tally with a superb finish from a tight angle."
Match details and impact
Benfica took the lead in the fifth minute through Jhon Durán's penalty, with Alexander Bah extending the lead in the 23rd minute. Durán scored again before halftime to make it 3-0. Celtic reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute through Camilo Durán, but Vangelis Pavlidis sealed the victory in the 89th minute.
Referee Nikola Dabanovic, from Montenegro, handed out yellow cards to Dahl, Bah, and Palhinha. Benfica raised their tally to six points, while Celtic remained without points in the Europa League's league phase.
