Celtic put their first Champions League point on the board in Warsaw - but return to Glasgow with a lingering sense of what may have been.
The Premiership champions, smarting from a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid on opening night, bossed Shakhtar Donetsk for long periods but were unable to turn another positive performance into a victory. Reo Hatate forced an early own goal off Artem Bondarenko as Ange Postecoglou's side started like a train, only to be pegged back by the electric Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Former Celt Marian Shved had a quickfire second correctly ruled out moments later as Shakhtar threatened to come to life but the in-form Ukrainians were otherwise disappointing, not least because they'd routed RB Leipzig 4-1 just a week ago. But that also speaks to Celtic's quality as they again showed they can live at the elite level. They now face RB Leipzig home and away in a pair of fixtures likely to determine an already tight Group F's direction of travel. A point here is by no means a setback, but Celtic will perhaps wonder if they could have made their dominance count for something more.
Pre-match, Postecoglou decided on two changes to the side which went down to the European champions - recalling Kyogo and handing a first start to Sead Haksabanovic, the pair coming in for Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada.
The personnel differed slightly but the fast start remained the same. Celtic pounced on some Shakhtar slackness high up the pitch as Matt O'Riley slid Kyogo through on goal, only for the forward to be denied by onrushing Anatoliy Trubin.
Moments later, Greg Taylor flashed a wicked low ball across the six-yard box without any takers as the hosts struggled to deal with what was coming at them. A goal was very much on the cards and for all their excellent football, the opener was set in motion by Josip Juranovic smashing a clearance upfield and turning Shakhtar.
Haksabanovic slipped a pass in behind for the onrushing Hatate and his effort deflected off Bondarenko and into the net. Kyogo very nearly slid in for a second as Trubin took an age to release the ball alarmingly close to his own goal line, escaping a howler only marginally.
It was an impressive opening 25 minutes from Postecoglou's side, whose intensity married with poise and quality left Shakhtar struggling to find answers. And that made it all the more frustrating for the travelling support when the hosts equalised out of the blue.
Callum McGregor committed to cutting out a pass into midfield and when he didn't get there, Celtic were in bother. Suddenly, Mudryk was on his bike and he left Juranovic toiling as he sped in behind and fired X's through ball high beyond Joe Hart.
To make matters worse, the goal immediately changed the flow of the game. Celtic's composure slipped and Shakhtar were emboldened by it, flooding forward again as Mudryk squared for Shved to drill home at the second attempt - but the linesman correctly ruled the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
Half-time was not an unwelcome development for Celtic at this point and Postecoglou used it to replace a tiring Haksabanovic with Daizen Maeda, a changed that restored Jota to the left flank. And he immediately looked more dangerous, marauding in off the flank to leave Shakhtar defenders in his wake before being denied a shot on target by a last-ditch block.
It was, however, a signal that Celtic were re-taking control of proceedings. O'Riley was next to go close, forcing a smart stop from Trubin from distance before seeing a second effort rise over the bar seconds later.
Another slaloming, mesmerising run from Jota soon followed but again the winger found orange shirts throwing themselves in his way at the crucial moment. He cut a frustrated figure when subbed late on, suggesting he knew just how different things could have been.
A half-chance followed for Maeda but it was Giakoumakis, on for Kyogo, who blew the big one - blazing over in the box after having the time to take a touch. Here's 5 talking points from Warsaw:
Haksabanovic first glimpse
Celtic fans have had but fleeting glimpses of their late-summer signing since his arrival from Rubin Kazan but Postecoglou judged this the right time for the Montenegro international to show what he can do. Haksabanovic was deployed on the left side of Celtic's attack in place of Liel Abada and he played a key role in the opening goal.
His decision-making and composure saw Hatate played in behind at exactly the right moment which ultimately ended with Bondarenko turning past his own keeper. It was a look at what Haksabanovic can do but he did still look short of match sharpness, or short of the fitness needed to play for a Postecoglou side.
There's also somewhat of a conundrum in using Haksabanovic off the left in that switching Jota to the opposite flank seems to nullify the Portuguese's threat.
Hatate sparkles once more
As though his star turn against the European champions wasn't enough, tonight was further proof of the Japanese midfielder's ability. He might be denied a first Champions League goal by the proverbial dubious goals panel but there was no taking away from Hatate's performance.
The 23-year-old possesses a deftness of touch and eye for a pass in a way few Celtic players have in recent history. Those passes also have an impressive range and variety and he was key to the visitors' fast start.
Fine margins again
There was an element of deja-vu about Shakhtar's equaliser in that, just as against Real Madrid, it followed a period Celtic dominance. But this is the standard Celtic are adjusting to.
In the Premiership, McGregor likely would not be punished so ruthlessly for a split-second misjudgement and few wingers will run away from Juranovic like Mudryk did. It's frustrating, no doubt, for Celtic fans to see their team acquit themselves well at this level only to be undone by errors.
However, this is all part of the learning curve when you step up to the top table and there are some promising signs at this early stage.
Those chances!
It's hard to remember Celtic going away from home in Europe and creating so many opportunities. That will be both a positive and a negative for the travelling fans as they return home.
Positive in that they're imposing themselves against some of the best, negative in that they're not making these chances count in what will likely be the tightest of races to qualify for the knockout stage. A few of them will make painful viewing when watched back.
Not least the late ones which fell to Giakoumakis and Maeda. The Greek forward is a specialist when it comes to those first-time, instinctive finishes but he blazed high and wide with the goal at his mercy after having the time to take a touch and set himself.
On balance, this was both a positive night for Celtic but one which could still come back to haunt them.
Nothing to fear
There was no doubting Celtic's improvement over the past year under Postecoglou, but the lingering question was just how much had they lifted their level? How would it stack up against Europe's elite?
On this evidence, it's hard to argue they don't belong on the big stage. Celtic controlled this game for long periods and, for the second week in a row, will feel they should've taken more from it.
And given Shakhtar, largely unimpressive tonight, smashed four goals past Leipzig last week, it suggests Celtic have very little to fear in the weeks to come.
