O’Neill defiant in defeat but Celtic’s ‘flat-track bullies’ fail another big test

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill remained defiant following his side's 4-1 Europa League defeat against Benfica in Lisbon, insisting they can still qualify for the knockout stages. The loss marks Celtic's fourth defeat in their past five matches, leaving them 34th out of 36 teams in the competition. Benfica capitalized on early errors to take a 3-0 first-half lead through an early penalty won by Jhon Duran, an Alexander Bah goal, and Duran's finish.

Camilo Duran scored for Celtic after the break before Vangelis Pavlidis sealed Benfica's victory late on. The performance drew criticism from former player Chris Sutton, who labelled Celtic "flat-track bullies" due to their repeated struggles in high-stakes fixtures this season. Pundit Scott Allan also questioned record signing Kasper Hogh, who was substituted at half-time after failing to score in 10 of his first 11 matches.