Martin o'neill remains defiant after celtic suffer heavy defeat

Celtic lost four to one against Benfica in the Europa League.

Written by the BettingEdgeHub desk, 16 October 2026

Martin O'Neill insists his Celtic team can still reach the knockout rounds of the Europa League despite a heavy defeat in Portugal. Benfica won four to one at Estadio da Luz after goals from Jhon Duran, Vangelis Pavlidis and Alexander Bah. The Scottish club now has zero points after two matches in the competition.

Early disaster sets tone

Benfica took the lead after just five minutes when Duran scored a penalty against Viljami Sinisalo. Gianluca Prestianni then set up two more goals before half time as the home side took total control. Camilo Duran managed to score a late goal for Celtic, but Benfica added a fourth near the end.

Defensive problems continue

Celtic have now lost four of their last five matches in all competitions. Their defensive record in Europe remains a major concern for punters, with only two clean sheets in their last thirty matches in this tournament. Bookmakers will likely push out their odds for qualification following this heavy reverse.

Manager sees positive signs

O'Neill praised his team for avoiding a complete collapse after the early penalty. The manager highlighted a much better second half performance where his substitutes made a strong impact. He believes this improvement proves they can still qualify from the group stage.

What it means for a bet

Punters should expect longer odds on Celtic to qualify after this heavy defeat.

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