Celtic beaten 4-1 by Benfica as O'Neill backs knockout fight
Celtic were beaten 4-1 by Benfica at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on 15 October to make it two defeats from two in the Europa League. Martin O'Neill's side sit 34th of 36 teams in the early table. The Europa League, Europe's second-tier club competition, is now played as one big league phase, with eight games deciding who reaches the knockout stages BBC.
Benfica flew out of the blocks. Dane Murray fouled Jhon Duran inside four minutes to give away a penalty. Alexander Bah added the second goal before the break. Celtic were stretched and punished for every loose moment.
There was a flicker after half-time. Camilo Duran pulled one back for Celtic and, for a spell, the visitors pushed forward with real intent. Then the mistakes returned. Captain Callum McGregor said unforced errors led to Benfica's second and third goals. Vangelis Pavlidis scored a late fourth to seal the win. Benfica also hit the woodwork twice on a night when the scoreline could have been heavier BBC.
The result matched a difficult run of form. Celtic had lost four of their past five games at the time of the report. That sequence included defeats in both meetings with Rangers and in both European ties. The European campaign had opened with a 1-3 home loss to Ferencvaros, a game O'Neill had targeted for a winning start UEFA.
O'Neill stayed defiant after the defeat in Lisbon. He described Celtic's second-half performance as terrific. He said Celtic can still reach the knockout stages despite the slow start. Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton took a harsher view, describing the team as "flat-track bullies" after the game.
O'Neill, who was appointed as Celtic's permanent manager in June 2026, was without key defender Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury in Lisbon. In attack, club-record summer signing Kasper Hogh struggled again. The striker, signed from Bodo/Glimt, had failed to score in 10 of his first 11 appearances and was substituted at half-time against Benfica. O'Neill added that he believes Duran is best used through the middle, as a central striker BBC.
For supporters, this was the hard part of the night to take. The effort after the break showed fight and gave the travelling fans something to shout about. The errors around it cost every bit of goodwill, and left Celtic chasing the table from very early in the competition.
Celtic now look to home games to change the story. Besiktas and Marseille are next up at home in the competition. With six league-phase games still to play, there is time to climb. O'Neill's message is simple. Start winning.
