Maribor 1-1 Celtic

McGregor scored his fourth goal of the season in Maribor

Celtic restored a sense of European pride with a very creditable Champions League play-off first-leg draw with Maribor in Slovenia.

Callum McGregor scored his third goal of this qualifying campaign to put Ronny Deila's side in front early on.

They were quickly pegged back by a well-taken Damjan Bohar equaliser.

Both sides had numerous further chances but Celtic, reinstated to the competition in place of Legia Warsaw, are now clear favourites to go through.

Deila's men only took their place in the play-off round because their conquerors in the previous round fielded an ineligible player.

McGregor's goal gives Celtic an advantage ahead of the second leg

The Norwegian stressed the importance of learning lessons from the defeats by Legia and, on the whole, it appeared both he and his players had done that.

This was a more mature performance and gives the Scottish champions a terrific opportunity of progressing to the lucrative group stage when NK Maribor visit Celtic Park on Tuesday.

Perhaps crucially they bring back an away goal, which had a familiar look about it.

McGregor's start to the season has been a sensational one and, just as he did in Reykjavik and Warsaw, he put Celtic ahead.

Stefan Johansen's deep cross was perfect for Jo Inge Berget, who had done well to stay onside, and though his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic, young winger McGregor was on hand to smash the ball into the net.

Celtic looked far more composed and much less vulnerable to the counter-attack than they had in Poland, but a fragility at the heart of their defence was exposed as Zeljko Filipovic slid a pass between Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer for Bohar to tuck past the hitherto untroubled Craig Gordon.

Bohar levelled eight minutes after his side had fallen behind

But unlike the collapse in Warsaw, Celtic did not fold and but for two instances of real misfortune would have been back in front before half-time as first Charlie Mulgrew watched a back-post header cleared off the line by Filipovic before Van Dijk's effort smacked Johansen in the face, preventing an apparently inevitable goal.

Gordon had work to do too, pushing powerful shots from Petar Stojanovic and Agim Ibraimi away to safety in the first half and doing likewise with a second-half Ibraimi downward header.

But the keeper's best work came in the dying minutes as he threw himself high to his right to keep out another Ibraimi drive, this time from 35 yards.

Celtic were certainly forced to defend deeper in the second period but they had chances of their own - Van Dijk testing Handanovic from long range and Beram Kayal having what looked like a penalty turned down by Czech referee Pavel Kralovec, while Johansen also passed up a terrific chance after bursting through only to be blocked by Handanovic.

And though a second goal would have made for an even greater result to take back to Glasgow, they will still fancy their chances of reaching the group stage for a third successive season.

Van Dijk's first-half header cannoned off team-mate Johansen

Handanovic saved at the feet of Johansen to prevent the Celtic midfielder scoring in the second half