The floodgates threatened to open much wider than they did in Lisbon as Martin O'Neill for zero for two in Europa League

It was the outcome most expected but that didn't make it an easier watch for Celtic fans.

Benfica will have designs on winning the Europa League and even after Marco Silva made six changes, they still proved far too strong for the Premiership champions.

They'll prove too strong for most teams they come up against this season, but that gulf, both in quality and finances, isn't such an easy excuse these days.

In the build up to this one, Hoops fans had pointed to Club Brugge - an outfit with a comparable turnover and wage bill to Celtic - going to Milan and turning over Inter 4-3.

Not winning in the Portuguese capital is far from a disgrace. But punters want to see their team compete, which when you are 3-0 down in a little over 35 minutes, is hard to argue the case for.

Celts will have easier games during the league phase, but so far, there's little evidence that they'll cope much better unless there's a major improvement.

Here's how the world's media saw Thursday night's mismatch.

Record (Portugal)

In the chronicle of Benfica-Celtic: the imperial eagle only felt tickles. Five goals and five shots hitting the woodwork added excitement to the game. Benfica once again displayed superior football.

A game with five goals and as many shots hitting the woodwork (three for Benfica, two for Celtic) allowed the Eagles to secure their second victory in the Europa League and, even more importantly, confirm the excellence of the football displayed by Marco Silva's team. In total, there were 26 shots, a sign of their ability to penetrate the opposition's defense and another log on the fire that has been Benfica's attacking prowess. Everything went well for Benfica, because they scored early (Durán opened the scoring in the 5th minute), built up the result and reached 3-0 after seeing their opponent squander a chance to make it 2-1.

A Bola (Portugal)

The floodgates of Celtic 's predictable dam against Benfica's attacking onslaught suddenly opened just four minutes into the game, when Murray made a mistake in a clearance inside the area, failing to notice Durán coming from behind to take the ball from him, and kicked the Colombian's leg with a powerful kick, as he would have kicked it in the air if he hadn't hit him. A clear penalty, Durán converting with a Panenka, opening the way for the Benfica river to surge forward.

His hair is dyed blonde, but since Gianluca Prestianni is Argentinian, we can easily classify the red river as a silver river, given the winger's importance in almost everything Marco Silva's team does offensively. He plays on the left but is a number 10, because he unbalances the opposition on his flank but also easily cuts inside to serve his teammates on the other side. Bah and Durán, who scored the next two goals, can attest to that.

Around the half-hour mark, Celtic, still trailing 2-0 thanks to two sporadic shots against the woodwork in the same play, gave the impression of being able to mount a serious comeback, but it was a very short-lived effort. Weak in attack and weak in defence, the Scottish champions soon conceded another goal and were already dreaming of halftime so they could get out of the water and breathe a little after the constant surge of pressure from that river of silver.

Sapo (Portugal)

From the opening minutes, Benfica showed determination to control the game. In the fifth minute, Jhon Durán opened the scoring with a penalty. Shortly after, Bah extended the lead in the 23rd minute. Before halftime, Durán scored again, putting Benfica ahead 3-0.

In the second half, Celtic reduced the deficit with a goal from Camilo Durán in the 63rd minute, but Benfica quickly regained control. In the 89th minute, Pavlidis sealed the victory with the Portuguese team's fourth goal.

Under Marco Silva's guidance, Benfica delivered a solid performance, while Celtic's manager, Martin O'Neill, saw his team struggle to keep up with the pace set by the Eagles. The match was attended by 58,870 fans.

Referee Nikola Dabanovic, from Montenegro, handed out yellow cards to Dahl, Bah, and Palhinha, but nothing that altered Benfica's dominance. This result puts Benfica in a favorable position in the group, fueling hopes of a safe passage to the next phase of the competition.

L'Equipe (France)

Jhon Duran had a great time. The Colombian (22 years old) played a key role in his team's victory against Celtic Glasgow (4-1). Having not scored a brace for 521 days, since a Saudi Pro League match against Al-Okhdood (9-0), he started the evening by converting a penalty (5th minute), then doubled his tally with a superb finish from a tight angle, after a through ball from Gianluca Prestianni (36th minute)."

Bold (Denmark)

There was a full house of Danes when Estadio da Luz on Thursday evening formed the setting for the Europa League clash between Benfica and Celtic. Alexander Bah started for the home team, while both Kasper Høgh and Oliver Sørensen were among the guests' 11 selected.

The former would end up playing a leading role in the match. However, it was Jhon Duran who opened the scoring from the penalty spot after five minutes of play and put Benfica ahead 1-0.

But then Alexander Bah also wanted to play along. 20 minutes later, the Danish national team full-back appeared at the back of the box and slotted the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

After that, Jhon Duran extended the lead further, and then it didn't matter that Camilo Duran embellished the result in the second half.

Shortly before the end, Vangelis Pavlidis hammered the final nail in the coffin and secured a crushing victory for the home team. Benfica won 4-1 over Celtic, who remain without points in the Europa League's league phase.

Goal (Spain)

Scottish side Celtic fell to their hosts, Portuguese side Benfica, by 4-1 despite the contribution of Egyptian player Haitham Hassan. Benfica took the lead with a goal from John Durán in the fifth minute, from a penalty.

Alexander Bah extended the Portuguese team's lead in the 23rd minute, before John Durán scored his second personal goal, and the third for the home side, in the 36th minute. Haiissem Hassan provided the assist for Celtic's only goal in the 63rd minute, scored by Camilo Durán.

Vangelis Pavlidis completed Benfica's four-goal haul in the 89th minute. Benfica raised their tally to 6 points, while Celtic remained without points.