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Camilo Durán admitted he was left with mixed emotions after a remarkable 24 hours ended with Celtic losing 4-1 to Benfica in Lisbon.
He then scored Celtic’s only goal of the night, heading in Haissem Hassan’s cross in the second half.
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It should have been a special personal moment, but Durán could not hide his disappointment after another sore European result for the Hoops.
Speaking to SunSport after the game, Durán said: “I’m really sad.
“I’m happy to see the baby is coming and I’m happy to score the goal.
“But obviously I’m really sad for the team losing the game.
“Obviously we came here to get the win and try to get the three points, or even one point, something positive for us.”
Celtic had left themselves with too much to do before Durán’s goal.
Benfica were 3-0 up at half-time after Jhon Durán scored twice for the home side and Alexander Bah also found the net.
Celtic did improve after the break, with Hassan and Callum Osmand adding more pace and purpose from the bench, but Vangelis Pavlidis scored late on to make it 4-1.
He said: “We couldn’t but now we need to have a rest and focus on the next game.
“We just didn’t have a good first-half.
“We just need to fix whatever we need to improve and try not to make the same mistakes.”
That next game is Hearts, and Celtic cannot afford to carry the Benfica damage into domestic action.
O’Neill’s side remain under pressure after losing their opening two Europa League league phase matches, but Durán insisted the squad are still focused on responding quickly.
He said: “Everyone’s motivated.
“We just need to win the next game, get our heads up and try to prepare for Hearts.
“Obviously that’s a big game. Like every game, we just need to prepare ourselves to get the results.
“We have to win the game, especially at home. We just need to get the results.”
Durán’s own performance was one of the few positives for Celtic.
He scored, hit the woodwork, and looked dangerous when moved into more central areas.
O’Neill has already said he believes Durán’s best position is through the middle, which may become a bigger talking point with Kasper Høgh still struggling for goals.
Durán, though, is not making that about himself.
He said: “I just do whatever job I’ve been given and I just try to do my best for the team.
“So that doesn’t really matter.”
That attitude will go down well, but Celtic need more than good words now.
Durán gave them a goal and a bit of life in Lisbon, but the first-half damage was too heavy to repair.
Hearts now becomes the chance to show that lesson has landed.