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Three goals in the first 36 minutes sink Celtic as Benfica win 4-1
Benfica beat Celtic 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz in the Europa League, having led 3-0 at half-time. They now sit third in the table.
By FootieRadar Desk · Published · 2 min read
Benfica had the game in hand by half-time. Jhon Durán scored from the penalty spot in the fifth minute, Alexander Bah doubled the lead in the 23rd, and Durán struck again in the 36th. Gianluca Prestianni provided the assists for both of the open-play goals.
Camilo Duran pulled one back for Celtic in the 63rd minute, but Vangelis Pavlidis completed the scoring in the 89th. The win lifts Benfica to third on six points from two matches. Celtic, who have lost both games, sit 33rd without a point.
How the goals came
Durán's penalty in the fifth minute opened the scoring, and no penalties were missed. Bah scored in the 23rd minute with Prestianni providing the assist. Durán doubled his tally in the 36th, again from a Prestianni pass, and Benfica led 3-0 at half-time. Celtic had to chase the game from there.
Camilo Duran scored for Celtic in the 63rd minute, set up by Haissem Hassan. Pavlidis finished the scoring in the 89th, assisted by Tomás Araújo. Referee Nikola Dabanovic showed Benfica three yellow cards and Celtic none, and there were no red cards.
| Benfica | Celtic | |
|---|---|---|
| 53% | Possession | 47% |
| 26 | Shots | 14 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 3.22 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.38 |
| 8 | Corners | 6 |
| 9 | Fouls | 7 |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 3rd | League position now | 33rd |
Finishing made the difference
Benfica had 53% of the ball and 26 shots, with 3.22 expected goals, against Celtic's 47%, 14 shots and 1.38 expected goals. Both sides hit the target seven times. Benfica turned those seven into four goals, while Celtic managed one, and that gap decided the match.
Benfica scored four from 3.22 expected goals, while Celtic scored one from 1.38. Benfica's goalkeeper made six saves to Celtic's three, and the hosts had eight corners to Celtic's six. Both sides lined up in a 4-2-3-1, so the difference lay in conversion rather than shape.
Where it leaves the two sides
Benfica are third on six points from two matches, both of them wins, and their form reads WW. Marco Silva's side have made a strong start to the League Stage.
Celtic sit 33rd with no points after two defeats, and their form reads LL. On the numbers, the 4-1 scoreline is no fluke, as Benfica's 3.22 expected goals were well ahead of Celtic's 1.38.
Data: API-Football (result, goals, cards, match statistics, line-ups, standings). Written by the FootieRadar desk with AI assistance and checked against the match data. How our predictions work.
