A 4-1 beating in Lisbon stings. What stung Celtic fans most, though, was how two of those goals arrived.
Viljami Sinisalo had only just won the gloves back. Sam Johnstone lost them after a ropey League Cup afternoon at Ibrox, so Martin O’Neill gave the Finn another go. Alexander Bah then made it 2-0 to Benfica, and Sinisalo couldn’t keep it out. Jhon Duran later poked a close-range finish through his legs.
Two straight Europa League defeats leave Celtic with a stiff task to reach the knockouts.
Charlie Mulgrew didn’t dress it up. Speaking to Premier Sports Ireland, as relayed by Celts Are Here, the former Celtic defender said Sinisalo is “still scratching for a number one”. He added that the 25-year-old keeps failing to make the saves Europe demands.
Mulgrew also reckons O’Neill hasn’t found his best XI, and the weak spots keep costing them at this level. Fans can’t really argue. A keeper lives under a microscope, yet the criticism has bite, since every decent side starts at the back. Johnstone could return, though few expect him to change much while question marks hang over defence and midfield.
“Sinisalo, for me… still scratching for a number one.
“Johnstone’s came in, had a bad time at Ibrox, then came out of the team; Sinisalo back in.
“But continually in Europe, for me, Sinisalo doesn’t make the necessary saves.”
Can O’Neill settle on a goalkeeper while the defence keeps leaking?
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JULY 25: Viljami Sinisalo of Celtic arrives at the ground ahead of kick off in the Celtic v AC Milan in a pre-season friendly at Celtic Park on July 25, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
From O’Neill’s chair, the gloves aren’t the real itch. Sinisalo gave him two soft ones in one night, but dropping a 25-year-old again could flatten whatever confidence he has left, and Johnstone’s Ibrox wobble leaves no obvious alternative. So O’Neill sticks, probably, and hopes.
A keeper can’t save what a back four lets through. Benfica found space far too easily, and O’Neill knows a settled defence protects either goalkeeper better than any swap. He needs to pick his back four, pick his midfield screen, and leave them alone for a month. Constant tinkering is how you end up losing 4-1.
Johnstone deserves a go in a domestic game, where a mistake won’t cost a European place. Sinisalo keeps the Thursday nights for now, because chopping and changing sends the loudest message of all: nobody’s sure.
A quiet word and a clean sheet against a modest league side could do more for Sinisalo than any team talk. Mulgrew has a point about Europe, mind. Domestic games hide flaws. Europe shows them off.