Jhon Durán double helps Benfica beat Celtic 4-1 in Lisbon

Benfica defeated Celtic 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz on Thursday, October 15, with Jhon Durán scoring twice in the first half of their Europa League meeting. Celtic's official match report confirmed that Alexander Bah and Vangelis Pavlidis also scored for the hosts, while Camilo Durán replied for the visitors.

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The opening goal came in the fifth minute after Dane Murray brought down Jhon Durán inside the penalty area. The striker converted with a chipped penalty. Celtic had an opportunity to respond when Mika Baur played Kasper Høgh through, but goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin saved his effort. Benfica controlled possession during the first half, with Gianluca Prestianni providing a threat on the left.

Prestianni sent a curling attempt over Viljami Sinisalo's crossbar before supplying the cross that Bah converted in the 23rd minute. Jhon Durán added his second in the 36th minute, giving Benfica a three-goal advantage at half-time and leaving Celtic with a substantial deficit to recover.

According to Sky Sports, Celtic had come close to reducing the deficit when the score was still 2-0. Høgh struck a post from Sebastian Tounekti's delivery, and Camilo Durán's follow-up hit both the crossbar and the other upright. Those missed opportunities preceded Benfica's third goal, scored by Jhon Durán from a tight angle.

Celtic's response after the interval brought a goal in the 63rd minute, when Camilo Durán headed in substitute Haissem Hassan's cross. He threatened again after receiving a pass from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but his shot struck the near post. Pavlidis ended Celtic's hopes of a comeback with Benfica's fourth goal in the 89th minute.

The result left Celtic without a point after two league-phase matches. Sky Sports reported that manager Martin O'Neill nevertheless remained hopeful of qualification, pointing to the chances his team created after the break and the contribution of his substitutes. Captain Callum McGregor also drew encouragement from the second-half performance, while acknowledging that avoidable first-half errors had contributed to a disappointing result.