Sportsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Benfica Crushes Celtic 4-1 at Estádio da Luz as Jhon Durán Scores Twice
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Benfica defeated Celtic 4-1 at Estádio da Luz. Jhon Duran scored twice, including an opening Panenka penalty.
Benfica crush Celtic 4-1
Benfica beat Celtic 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in the Europa League, with Jhon Durán scoring a penalty after five minutes and completing his double in the 35th minute. Benfica then had Alexander Bah double the lead earlier in the half before Camilo Durán reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute with a header. Vangelis Pavlidis fired in a fourth for the home side with two minutes remaining, and the match ended with Benfica 4, Celtic 1.
“Celtic found a clinical Benfica side too much to handle during a 4-1 defeat in Lisbon.”
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill said, "Last thing you want to do is concede so early on," as he reflected on the early penalty and the slow start. O'Neill added, "We could've capitulated, but I thought the second-half performance was terrific," as he pointed to a stronger response after going behind.
O'Neill and Sutton clash
Martin O'Neill chose to focus on the second-half positives from Celtic's 4-1 Europa League defeat by Benfica and insisted they can still reach the knockout stages despite their slow start. Chris Sutton branded Celtic as "flat-track bullies" after the Portuguese side created chances aplenty in both halves and hit the woodwork twice in addition to their four goals. Callum McGregor said, "First half we didn't help ourselves," and he pointed to unforced errors that led to the second and third goals.
McGregor added, "Unforced errors lead to the second and third goals and you have a mountain to climb," as he described how Celtic were punished for not looking after the ball. Scott Allan said, "If I'm a creative midfield player and I've got Duran and Hogh to pick from, I'm taking Duran every day of the week," as he contrasted Jhon Durán with Kasper Høgh.
Next tests for both
Benfica's victory left them well placed near the top of the Europa League standings with six points from two matches, and Benfica coach Marco Silva said, "We managed to recover our best version and scored the fourth goal." Silva also said, "We must be more solid to control the game when we go ahead, so there are things to learn," as Benfica prepared to keep their perfect European campaign when they visit Omonia. Celtic returned to Parkhead looking for their first points in Europe as they host Celta Vigo, after the match left them facing another European test.
Flashscore said Celtic will attempt to end their run of three consecutive European defeats next week against Celta Vigo, while Benfica will seek a third consecutive Europa League win in Cyprus against Omonia in seven days. The Guardian also noted that Randal Kolo Muani scored a stoppage-time header to give Juventus a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo, leaving Juventus top of the standings.