Celtic are off an running in this season’s Europa League after earning a deserved point against Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital.
A tepid first half brought little in the way of opportunities, with Marko Arnautovic and Cameron Carter-Vickers going closest for their respective sides.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers opted to hook Daizen Maeda at the interval in favour of summer signing Kelechi Iheanacho in an effort to generate some spark at the top end of the pitch, and it paid off in some style.
The former Leicester City striker took just 10 minutes to make an impact, slotting home from close range after collecting a precise Benjamin Nygren pass to register his second goal for his new club.
Arnautovic levelled things up following some pinball in the Celtic box, but the Scottish champions held on to secure a rare point on the road.
Mail Sport’s Kevin McKenna was on hand to run the rule over what was a positive night for Rodgers’ men…
Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to put Celtic in front early in the second half
Manager Brendan Rodgers was pleased to see his changes pay off after the interval
Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel made two crucial saves to keep the hosts at bay
CELTIC (4-3-3)
Kasper Schmeichel 7
Pulled off a magnifent stop at full stretch to tip a Duarte effort on to the bar and made save with feet to thwart Ivanic.
Colby Donovan 8
High-pressure night for the youngster and he didn’t look our of place. Defensively solid and eager to carry the ball.
Cameron Carter-Vickers 7
Should have done much better with late header in first-half stoppage-time. Couple of vital interventions in his own box.
Liam Scales 7.5
Guilty of slackness on the ball but was in the right place at the right time on several occasions to deal with danger.
Kieran Tierney 6
Found opportunities to get forward at a premium. Posted missing at back post as Arnautovic volleyed wide.
19-year-old Colby Donovan was outstanding once again at right-back in a hostile atmosphere
Benjamin Nygren 6.5
Passed up huge chance to open the scoring early in the second period. Made up for it with terrific assist for Iheanacho.
Callum McGregor 6.5
Saw plenty of the ball and kept things ticking over in the middle of the park. Captain was calm and assured in possession.
Reo Hatate 5
Couple of nice touches in the early stages but faded thereafter. Failed to offer any sort of attacking threat.
Yang Hyun-Jun 5
Perhaps a surprise starter on the right-hand side and struggled to justify his selection. Largely anonymous.
Sebastian Tounekti struggled to get any change out of Red Star defender Seol Young-woo
Daizen Maeda 4
Out-of-sorts forward was barely given a sniff throughout a frustrating first half. Hooked at the interval.
Sebastian Tounekti 5
Hosts did a job on the in-form winger who simply couldn’t get in to the game. Forced inside far too often.
SUBSTITUTES: Iheanacho (Maeda 46), Engels (Hatate 68), Forrest (Yang 68), Balikwisha (Tounekti 77), Sarrachi (Tierney 82).
Brendan Rodgers 7
Deserves credit for changing things up after a poor first 45. Will be happy with the point.
Red Star Belgrade (4-2-3-1): Matheus; Young-Woo, Uchenna, Veljkovic, Tiknizyan; Elsnik, Handel; Radonjic (Milson 46), Bruno Duarte, Ivanic (Olayinka 91); Arnautovic (Katai 75).
Referee: Radu Petrescu (Rom) 6
Attendance: N/A
