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Benfica 4-1 Celtic: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings

Full time: Benfica 4-1 Celtic

Benfica 4-1 Celtic: Benfica took the points in Europa League Matchday 2 on Thursday 15 October 2026 at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica. The goals: Jhon Durán 5', Alexander Bah 23', Jhon Durán 36', Camilo Durán 63', Vangelis Pavlidis 89'. Moneyball's pre-match estimate had the result right.

How Benfica won it

Benfica struck first through Jhon Durán from the penalty spot in the 5th minute. Alexander Bah made it 2-0 to Benfica in the 23rd minute, set up by Gianluca Prestianni. Jhon Durán made it 3-0 to Benfica in the 36th minute, set up by Gianluca Prestianni. Camilo Durán made it 3-1 to Celtic in the 63rd minute, set up by Haissem Hassan. Vangelis Pavlidis made it 4-1 to Benfica in the 89th minute, set up by Tomás Araújo.

It was 3-0 at half-time.

Jhon Durán scored twice.

The referee, N. Dabanović, showed 3 yellow cards: 3 to Benfica and 0 to Celtic.

Benfica: M. Saraiva Da Silva, 4-2-3-1 · Celtic: M. O'Neill, 4-2-3-1.

Moneyball's prediction against the result

A Benfica win was the estimate's call at 78%, and it came in. The exact score was another matter: 3-0 was the likeliest, 4-1 the real one.

On goals the estimate was close: about 4.0 expected, 5 scored.

Over 2.5 goals had been put at 75%; with 5 goals the over came in, as the estimate leaned.

Both teams to score was 59%; both did, in line with the estimate.

Computed before kick-off from both sides' season goals and expected goals as of 2026-10-09, through a Dixon-Coles score model, and left as it was.

Why it went this way

Benfica had 7 shots on target, Celtic 7.

Benfica's goalkeeper made 6 saves.

Benfica had 53% of the ball and turned it into the win.

Where the two sides stood before this match

Benfica came into it with 4 Europa League matches played, scoring 3.3 and conceding 0.8 a match, with 2.21 expected goals for and – against, and had won 100% of their matches.

Celtic came into it with 4 Europa League matches played, scoring 1.5 and conceding 2.8 a match, with 1.13 expected goals for and – against, and had won 25% of their matches.

Benfica vs Celtic: the match in numbers

BenficaMatch statisticsCeltic
53%Ball possession47%
26Total shots14
7Shots on target7
4Big chances2
576Total passes509
91%Pass accuracy89%
8Corners6
9Fouls7
2Offsides2
15Tackles14
6Saves3
3Yellow cards0

Team statistics from Sportmonks.

Player ratings and man of the match

Man of the match: Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), rated 9.5 by Sportmonks, with 2 assists.

Benfica

Celtic

The lowest-rated starter was Viljami Sinisalo at 5.8. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.

What comes next

Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.

Questions about Benfica vs Celtic

What was the score in Benfica vs Celtic?

Benfica 4-1 Celtic (half-time 3-0), Europa League, Thursday 15 October 2026.

Who scored in Benfica vs Celtic?

Jhon Durán 5', Alexander Bah 23', Jhon Durán 36', Camilo Durán 63', Vangelis Pavlidis 89'.

Did Moneyball predict Benfica vs Celtic correctly?

A Benfica win was the estimate's call at 78%, and it came in. The exact score was another matter: 3-0 was the likeliest, 4-1 the real one.

Who was man of the match in Benfica vs Celtic?

Gianluca Prestianni, rated 9.5 by Sportmonks.

Who refereed Benfica vs Celtic?

N. Dabanović.

Every match, before and after

Moneyball writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.

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Moneyball is a football statistics site. No model predicts football reliably: every figure is an estimate.