A First Half to Forget
Celtic have lost four of their past five games. Every high-stakes match this term, including both meetings with Rangers and both European outings, has ended in defeat. By the time their performance picked up in Lisbon on Thursday, they were three goals down and effectively out of the contest, undone by their own sloppy mistakes.
Dane Murray upended Jhon Duran to concede a penalty inside four minutes, an error that set the tone for the opening 45. Sebastian Tounekti then let Alexander Bah run past him for Benfica's second, and goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was beaten too easily as Duran scored the third.Camilo Duran pulled one back after the break and hit a post as the Scottish champions improved, but Vangelis Pavlidis struck Benfica's fourth late on to end any faint hopes.
"Last thing you want to do is concede so early on," O'Neill said. "We could've capitulated, but I thought the second-half performance was terrific. We created chance after chance." He added that it gives him determination and that "we can still qualify." He accepted Benfica could have scored on the break, as they did for their fourth.
Even the most loyal Celtic fans might struggle to share that optimism, given the club sit 34th of 36 teams after two games. Captain Callum McGregor admitted the team caused its own downfall. "First half we didn't help ourselves," he said. "Unforced errors lead to the second and third goals and you have a mountain to climb." He added that at this level, "if you don't look after the ball you're going to get punished."
Defensive Gaps and a Striker Problem
The scoreline didn't flatter Benfica. They created chances in both halves and hit the woodwork twice on top of their four goals. Celtic's lack of defensive depth was exposed again without the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers, as Gianluca Prestianni and Duran tormented the back four.
Up front, though, O'Neill may have his biggest headache. Club record signing Kasper Hogh was taken off at half-time and has now failed to score in 10 of his first 11 outings since joining from Bodo/Glimt in the summer. Duran moved inside for the second half and looked far more dangerous.
Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan was blunt. "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," he said. He said Duran gets off the side of defenders and is more likely to be alive to a ball in the area, while Hogh "just isn't firing on all cylinders." Allan said he could see why O'Neill made the change and that Celtic looked much better going forward.
O'Neill admitted he sees Duran as better through the middle, saying: "I personally feel his best position is through the middle." He added, "It's now a matter of us trying to fit him in and I think we can do that. It's a real battle for places now." Given Hogh's price tag, though, he may not be quick to pull him out of the firing line.
