Prestianni was the architect of a ruthless first half as Benfica tore Celtic apart at the Estádio da Luz on Thursday night, winning 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League league stage. J. Durán converted a fifth-minute penalty and added a second before the break, with Bah also on the scoresheet, to put the match beyond any doubt by half-time. C. Durán pulled one back for the Scottish side after the hour, but Pavlidis wrapped things up in the 89th minute to complete a comprehensive win for Marco Silva’s side.
Key Moments
- 5′, J. Durán opened the scoring from the penalty spot, giving Benfica an early platform.
- 23′, Bah doubled the lead, converting a chance set up by Prestianni to make it 2-0.
- 36′, J. Durán grabbed his second of the night, again assisted by Prestianni, putting Benfica 3-0 up before the break.
- 45′, Martin O’Neill made two forced changes at half-time, sending on Hassan and Osmand in place of Høgh and Tounekti.
- 63′, C. Durán gave Celtic a consolation goal, finishing from an Hassan assist to make it 3-1.
- 89′, Pavlidis rounded off the scoring late on, converting a Tomás Araújo assist to seal the 4-1 final.
Tactical Breakdown
Marco Silva’s Benfica were in control from the opening whistle, finishing with 53% possession, 26 total shots and an xG of 2.78. Prestianni, operating as the No. 10 behind J. Durán in a 4-2-3-1, was the standout performer, creating both the second and third goals with incisive passing through a Celtic midfield that never got to grips with his movement. The home side’s 21 shots inside the box reflected how consistently they breached Celtic’s defensive shape, and J. Durán bookended the scoring with a fifth-minute penalty and a 36th-minute strike before being substituted off in the 67th minute, with the game long since decided by that point.
The turning point came before a ball was even kicked in the second half. Celtic head coach Martin O’Neill replaced both Høgh and Tounekti at the interval, restructuring the attack in an attempt to find more threat. Hassan, introduced as a substitute, did provide a bright cameo, assisting C. Durán’s goal in the 63rd minute, and that briefly made it 3-1. Benfica responded immediately, making four changes between the 64th and 68th minutes to manage the load with the game already won, while Pavlidis, on for just 23 minutes, added a late fourth to cap the evening.
Celtic’s central issue was the first half, which they simply could not survive. Their xG of 1.31 shows they were not entirely without chances once the game opened up in the second period, but the 3-0 deficit at the break left them chasing too great a margin. The back four, anchored by Murray and Trusty, was exposed repeatedly by Benfica’s movement in behind, and the midfield pairing of McGregor and Baur struggled to press high enough to disrupt the home side’s rhythm in the opening 45 minutes.
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Verdict
Benfica pick up three points from their opening Europa League home game, putting them in a solid position early in the league stage. Celtic, by contrast, are left without a point from their first outing and will need a sharp response in the coming fixtures, though with much of the league stage still ahead, there is plenty of time to recover. For now, the result serves as a reminder of what Benfica can produce at the Estádio da Luz when Prestianni is at his best.