Martin O’Neill defiant after Celtic’s night of two halves but skipper counts cost of harsh Lisbon lesson

Manager adamant Celtic can still reach knockout stages after spirited second-half response

Martin O’Neill insists Celtic can still qualify for the Europa League knockout stages despite opening their league phase campaign with back-to-back defeats.

The Scottish champions crashed to a heavy 4-1 loss against Benfica in Lisbon, but an upbeat O’Neill chose to draw encouragement from a spirited second-half response after a disastrous opening period had left his side facing an uphill struggle in the Portuguese capital.

The 74-year-old acknowledged the damage caused by conceding an early penalty and the defensive mistakes that allowed the hosts to establish a commanding three-goal advantage before half-time. However, the veteran manager highlighted the character shown by his players after the interval as grounds for optimism ahead of Sunday’s huge Premiership encounter with Hearts.

“The last thing you want to do is concede so early on,” O’Neill said on TNT Sports. “We actually started quite well, forced an early corner. At 2-0 we had a great chance to make it 2-1 but then a few minutes later they make it 3-0 and we could’ve capitulated.

“But I thought the second-half performance was really terrific. A gam of two halves. We created chance after chance and I thought we should’ve scored more goals. Of course, you’re going to leave yourself a bit open at the end. The second-half performance gives me the determination. I think we can still qualify. It’s down to six games now, but we can still do it.”

For much of the opening 45 minutes, Celtic looked overwhelmed by the occasion and the quality of their opponents. Dane Murray’s clumsy challenge on Jhon Duran gifted Benfica an early spot-kick, which the Colombian converted with a confident dinked finish down the middle. Alexander Bah then doubled the lead after being left unmarked at the far post, before Duran struck again to punish a defensive line that had been repeatedly exposed.

It was damage limitation by the interval as Celtic faced up to the prospect of another chastening European night. Their narrow defeat at home Ferencváros on Matchday One had already applied pressure, and the manner of their first-half collapse in Lisbon raised further questions about their ability to compete consistently at this level.

O’Neill, however, was keen to stress the positives after the break. The introduction of Haissem Hassan and Callum Osmand injected greater urgency into Celtic’s attacking play, while the visitors began to press higher against a side that had enjoyed considerable freedom before half-time.

Camilo Duran’s headed goal in the 63rd minute offered tangible reward for that improvement. Benfica looked vulnerable at that stage, and Celtic had chances to make the closing stages considerably more uncomfortable for the hosts. The failure to convert those opportunities ultimately proved decisive, with Vangelis Pavlidis adding a fourth in the 89th minute to restore Benfica’s three-goal cushion.

O’Neill accepted that Celtic’s attacking ambition had left them exposed, but remained encouraged by the impact of his substitutes and the willingness of his side to continue pressing.

“We came roaring back in the second half, the subs came on and did brilliantly. We could’ve scored a number of goals. It changed because two wide players really wanted to get at people. I accept on the break they could have scored themselves, as they did with their fourth goal. Overall, really happy with the second half performance.”

Asked whether he would carry the encouragement of the second-half display into Sunday’s meeting with Hearts, his response was emphatic: “Absolutely.”

McGregor: ‘We didn't help ourselves’

The overriding emotion was one of disappointment for captain Callum McGregor. The midfielder recognised the scale of the task Celtic left themselves, particularly after the defensive errors that allowed Benfica to seize control so early.

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing result,” he reflected. “We were here to get points and win. We were playing against a really good side with really good quality in the final third. I think first half we didn’t help ourselves in terms of the unforced errors we make. Second half gives us something to hang on to. We score one, probably could score another couple as well. Bit of a game of two halves.

“I thought the team was okay. We tried to show our personality on the ball and tried to get playing, but the unforced errors that lead to the second and third goals give you a mountain to climb. I thought we reset reasonably well at half-time and we kept pushing. But we know at this level if you don’t look after the ball you’re going to get punished.

“We need to try and get enough points to qualify from the league phase and with eight games it gives you slightly longer in case you don’t have a good start. The onus is on us now to start to collect some points if we want to go through.”

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