Celtic were forced to wait until the 82nd minute to gain a first-leg lead over Qarabag FK in their Champions League third qualifying round clash this evening.
The hosts enjoyed the better of things in terms of possession in the opening 45 minutes, but Qarabag remained firm defensively to frustrate the Scottish champions.
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Indeed, Ronny Deila's men were limited to just a couple of chances, both of which fell to Gary Mackay-Steven. First, the midfielder was sent through on goal by Stuart Armstrong before being crowded out, while midway through the half he tested Ibrahim Sehic with an effort from the edge of the box.
Qarabag fired a few warning shots of their own when they did venture into the Celtic half, although the closest they came in the opening 45 minutes was when Richard curled a first-time strike wide of Craig Gordon's post from 20 yards.
The Bhoys quickly regained control of proceedings at the start of the second half, and Nir Bitton showed some attacking intent with an effort that flew too high just five minutes after the restart.
Nadir Ciftci then nodded one wide before blowing the best chance of the match so far on the hour mark, firing straight at Sehic after the ball had fallen kindly to him inside the box.
The pressure continued to build on the Azerbaijani visitors, with Virgil van Dijk's header being saved on the line by Sehic before the Dutch defender lashed a long-range effort inches over the top.
The breakthrough finally arrived with just eight minutes remaining as Kris Commons's wicked delivery into the box was powered home by the head of Dedryck Boyata from close range.
Both sides traded chances in the closing stages as they went in search of a vital second goal, but Commons flashed one just wide of the target shortly after Qarabag had blazed one over the top.
The hosts successfully saw out the victory, giving them a slender advantage ahead of the return trip to Azerbaijan next week.
Barney Corkhill
