IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC

Iheanacho just the trick as sub earns point

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BRENDAN RODGERS drafted in a magician last week for a bit of team bonding.

But it was Kelechi Iheanacho who conjured up a priceless Europa League point for the Parkhead men.

It looked like Rodgers was going to pull all three out of the hat at one stage before Red Star snatched a leveller.

But by the end Celtic were under no illusions this was a decent start to their campaign.

It wasn't perfect by any stretch. It took some halftime tricks from the manager to give Celts a shake and there were some major wobbles after the Serbians snatched their equaliser.

Yet Rodgers' men hung tough to get the show up and running.

The Hoops carved out some huge opportunities but they also lived dangerously at times on a balmy, wet night in the Balkans.

Kasper Schmeichel produced a brilliant fingertip save to divert a Bruno Duarte rocket on to the bar and there were a couple of other scares in the opening period.

Celtic struggled to get going - yet passed up some glorious chances to get ahead. Cameron Carter-Vickers nodded a free header wide just before the break and Benjamin Nygren should have burst the net early in the second period.

Iheanacho was even closer when he was denied from pointblank range by keeper Matheus Magalhaes.

The hitman found his range moments later though when he superbly turned on Nygren's pass and buried the ball in the top corner.