Celtic lose 4-1 to Benfica but O’Neill backs qualification hopes

Celtic lost 4-1 to Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday, leaving the club without a point from its first two Europa League league-phase matches. Manager Martin O’Neill said the team’s second-half response gave him confidence it could still reach the knockout stages, despite the heavy defeat. Benfica took control in the first half after Jhon Duran converted a penalty in the fifth minute and scored again in the 35th. Alexander Bah also scored before the break, giving the hosts a three-goal lead. Celtic pulled one back through Camilo Duran in the 63rd minute, but Vangelis Pavlidis scored Benfica’s fourth in the 89th. O’Neill said Celtic had started well and created chances after the interval. He acknowledged that the team could have conceded more, but said its response and attacking play were encouraging. He also noted that Celtic’s push forward left it open to a counterattack for Benfica’s late goal. The result followed Celtic’s 3-1 home loss to Ferencváros in its opening league-phase match. O’Neill said the team needed to collect points in its remaining matches to qualify. His confidence reflected his assessment of the performance, rather than a guarantee of progression. Celtic...