Celtic have come from behind to nab a 1-1 draw with Astana in the first leg of their third qualifying match in the Champions League.
Leigh Griffiths scored the crucial away goal in the 78th minute in Kazakhstan, boosting the chances of Brendan Rodgers and his team progressing into the next phase of the competition as they welcome Astana to Glasgow for the second leg.
It was a bright start to the game from the Scottish giants as Griffiths almost created an opening by sharply turning in the box before drilling a low attempt towards goal, but the ball bobbled past the near post.
Celtic ramped up the pressure by peppering attacks on their opponents' goal, one of which was produced by summer signing Moussa Dembele, whose thumping shot was blocked in the penalty area.
Astana had few opportunities in the opening 15 minutes, but they began to find their feet when Patrick Twumasi stormed past Kieran Tierney to get a cross into the box, but Mikael Lustig read the move and managed to turn the ball behind.
The resulting corner in the 19th minute broke the deadlock as Yuri Logvinenko leapt unmarked in the box to head the ball home and give his side the lead against the run of play.
Three minutes later, Celtic players appealed for a penalty when Dembele crumpled to the floor after trying to get on the end of a through-ball, but the referee waved away their claims.
After going in front, Astana had a spring in their step as they piled pressure on goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who denied shots from Azat Nurgaliev and Junior Kabananga.
After the break, Celtic went on the front foot, and Patrick Roberts came close after darting away from his marker before trying to curl the ball past the keeper with his left foot, but it was blocked.
The visitors held their breath when Gordon missed Nurgaliev's strike from the edge of the area, but they were dealt some luck when the ball clipped the top of the crossbar.
As the clock ticked down, Celtic tried to find a way through and their perseverance paid off when Griffiths fired the ball from just inside the penalty area and past the keeper.
Minutes later, Astana tried to respond through Kabananga, who let one fly from the edge of the box, but Gordon was alert and caught the ball comfortably.
After equalising, Celtic managed to see the game out by keeping hold of possession and running down the clock.
Danielle Joynson
