Celtic suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Benfica in Lisbon, but manager Martin O'Neill insists his side can still reach the Europa League knockout stages. The loss leaves the Scottish champions with zero points from their opening two group games, a stark contrast to their domestic form where they lead the Premiership with 21 points from eight matches.

Jhon Durán gave Benfica the lead from the penalty spot after just five minutes. Alexander Bah added a second midway through the first half before Durán struck again to make it 3-0 at the interval. Captain Callum McGregor admitted the team were architects of their own downfall in that opening period.

Second-half fightback

Camilo Duran, Celtic's top scorer this season with four goals, pulled one back on 63 minutes to offer a flicker of hope. Martin O'Neill praised his team's response after the break. "We came roaring back in the second half, the substitutes did brilliantly and we could have scored a number of goals," O'Neill said. He accepted that Benfica then scored a fourth on the break through Vangelis Pavlidis late on, but stressed his pride in the players for not capitulating.

O'Neill said the second-half performance gave him determination and belief that Celtic could still qualify from a difficult group. "I genuinely believe that," he stated. The manager acknowledged the first half was tough but felt the team showed they were capable in the second period. The result means Celtic have now conceded 12 goals in their last three European matches.

Domestic focus returns

Attention now turns swiftly to domestic duty, with a key Premiership fixture against third-placed Hearts at Parkhead on Sunday. Celtic's league position remains strong, sitting two points clear at the top, and they will look to bounce back immediately. The team will aim to build on their average of 2.6 goal minutes per game in the league when they host Hearts this weekend.

McGregor summarised the evening as a game of two halves. "First half we didn't really help ourselves, in terms of the unforced errors that lead to the goal, but second half gives us a bit to hang onto in terms of performance," the captain said. The team's next European assignment is at home to Celta Vigo next Thursday. For now, the focus is on maintaining their lead at the summit of Scottish football, with the latest standings showing their two-point advantage.

Read the full report at Daily Mail Sport