Ex-Benfica man makes the difference, Celtic smile in the Cup | OneFootball

Three games, three victories for Martin O'Neil in his definitive return to Celtic, who defeated the modest Auchinleck Talbot, an amateur club in Scottish football, though only by 2-0, and advanced to the Scottish Cup round of 16 this Sunday. The former Benfica player - a club that has news for the fans -, Paulo Bernardo, stood out with an assist for a goal.

For the first time in 2026, the young athlete took the field and was a starter, also adding an assist in the second goal of the match, which secured the qualification. The Portuguese midfielder assisted Tounekti in the 87th minute, although the credit was entirely due to the goal scorer, while the first goal was scored by Kenny (34'). Jota remains injured.

The Northern Irish coach rested the starters in this match, considering the upcoming schedule for the Scottish champions: a clash with Bologna and Utrecht in the UEFA Europa League and, in between, a visit to Hearts, led by Cláudio Braga, the current league leader.

For the record, Celtic holds second place in the Scottish league with 44 points earned in 22 matches. In the Europa League group stage, the Glasgow team is in 24th position on the table with seven points, after six official matches.

This season, wearing the Celtic jersey, Paulo Bernardo — valued at 4 million euros — has played a total of 14 official matches, between national competitions and the Europa League. In the 482 minutes played, he has recorded one assist, with no goals scored.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.