"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," Camilo Duran said after Celtic's 1-4 loss to Benfica in Benfica vs Celtic. He had become a father for the second time and flown to Lisbon just hours later, then scored Celtic's consolation goal at the Estadio da Luz after a whirlwind 24 hours.
Duran's night in Lisbon
The goal was a small lift in a miserable first half for Celtic, and Duran's celebration carried a neat thumb-sucking tribute to his newborn child. It was also his first European goal for the club this season, coming in his second Europa League appearance.
Celtic could hardly lean on much else from the night. Benfica led 3-0 inside 36 minutes before the break, and the home side had already taken six points from their first two Europa League games. Celtic, by contrast, still have 0 points from 2 matches and a -5 goal difference.
Duran's own words pointed straight at the bigger issue. "There's no difference really. 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," he said.
Celtic's next response
Benjamin Nygren made the same basic point from a different angle. He said Celtic are used to the demands of European football, that the schedule is no excuse, and that the first half against Benfica was "a bit difficult to watch because we were down 3-0."
That is where the focus has to stay. Celtic are at the start of a gruelling nine-game run before next month's international break, and their next two fixtures are Hearts at home on 2026-10-18 and Celta Vigo at home on 2026-10-22.
Duran told the club's own story through the goal and the celebration, but his post-match line was about the football. "We just need to win the next game, get our heads up and try to prepare for Hearts."
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
