Thursday night's game was a reminder for Celtic of what they are expected to be in Europe, and where they stand right now. It felt like there were a million miles between Martin O'Neill's side and Benfica, who won 4-1 and somewhat comfortably.

Now, one could argue that Celtic were unlucky. Camilo Duran struck the woodwork more than once. Kasper Hogh also did the same from almost point-blank range. And there was another occasion when Callum Osmand should have done better.

Overall, though, Benfica were the much better team and deserved to win. There are no two ways about it.

As for O'Neill's side, it is hard to see where they go from here. It is hard to imagine that this is a team that was seconds away from taking Bayern Munich into extra time in a play-off Champions League tie less than two years ago.

There are some players who continue to be given consistent starts, even though it feels like they have not deserved that role for some time now.

One name that falls under that category is that of Sebastian Tounekti. The Tunisian winger had looked bright in his first few appearances for Celtic, but that was over a year ago.

For a long time now, he has looked like a winger that is nowhere near ready to start for Celtic. Yet, whether it is because of a lack of alternatives or merely a preference, Tounekti continues to get significant time on the pitch.

The latest of those chances came against Benfica, and it would be an understatement to say that he has not been able to justify the selection with his performance.

It was not just his lack of quality going forward. Tounekti left a lot to be desired on the defensive side of things as well. As reported by Born Celtic, Neil Lennon said during TNT Sports' coverage of the game:

"I don’t know what Tounekti’s doing. They’re creating overloads in the wide areas. They’re not getting any pressure on the ball either.

“When the ball comes in Tounekti’s running out and not tracking the runner. He’s free. Tounekti’s with the fullback. He starts to come out. It’s awful. Absolutely awful. How can he do that? I have to say, that could have been avoided.”

At this point, it does not feel like Tounekti is bringing much to the table for Celtic. How long can O'Neill continue to trust him with a starting spot?

Tounekti was taken off at half-time, alongside Hogh, and the team looked miles better after the break.

At this point, O'Neill needs to seriously consider dropping both in their upcoming games. Even Osmand was a lot more effective from the left flank. And Yang Hyun-jun is expected to be back to fitness soon. On the other hand, Duran looks like a much better option playing through the middle than Hogh, who at times struggles to even do the basics right and is very ineffective.