Celtic come of age in Atletico Madrid draw - Brendan Rodgers' tactical nous, Kyogo-O'Riley axis, electricity in stands

It wasn’t the Champions League win so craved by Celtic but, by Jiminy, there was a sense of Brendan Rodgers emerging team coming of age in their epic, engrossing 2-2 tussle with Atletico Madrid.

At times, the Scottish champions produced football with an elan that seemed to shock their Spanish visitors to establish a 2-1 half-time lead. This alone is significant, with 12 games and six years in the arena having come and gone without them netting more than once. The spanking strikes from Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma – either side of a penalty counter from Antoine Griezmann – the equal of any they have produced in the competition over those times.

Understandably, they tired in the second period. But they did not wilt, as it seemed would be the inevitable course, when Diego Simeone’s men equalised with Alvaro Morata heading in an exquisite right-wing cross in the 53rd minute from interval-substitute Marcos Llorente. But Rodgers’ tactical nous – he withdrew Palma and brought on Nat Phillips in the 62nd minute to switch to a 3-5-2 – brought a solidity that ensured their would be no late heartache as befell them with the 95th minute clincher Lazio plundered in Glasgow’s east end three weeks ago. They were also helped by an 80th minute red card shown to Rodrigo De Paul that saw Atletico finish with 10 men.

Much is likely to be made of the Celtic support – not merely the Green Brigade – defying the club’s wishes and flying Palestinian flags before kick-off. It has to be said, though, that the show of solidarity seemed to create an electricity that Rodgers’ team plugged into from the off.

Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates after making it 1-0 against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

It is rare to see Celtic able to marry measure and mastery to maul an elite continental opponent. But only four minutes in, the Kyogo Furuhashi-Matt O’Riley axis sliced Atletico apart – the pair combining in a dazzling fashion redolent of the Japanese striker’s earlier opener in the agonising 2-1 loss to Lazio three weeks ago. As then – after twice exchanging passes – Furahashi’s aim was truer than William Tell as he steered into the corner a sumptuous cushioned pass from his midfield confrere that sent him in behind on the right channel.

Celtic’s perfect start became imperfect when shortly afterwards Reo Hatate was forced off in tears with what seemed like a recurrence of the hamstring injury from which he had only recently recovered. His replacement, Paolo Bernardo, didn’t cause the home side to be in any way upset from producing football of poise at a breathless pace. Undeniably beyond a level of even their much-vaunted first-half showing against Real Madrid last year. The course of a Champions League night never runs smooth for Celtic, though. And when Greg Taylor caught the heel of Nahuel Molina in the box to lead to a 28th minute penalty that Joe Hart pushed on to the post from taker Griezmann, only for the French forward to knock in the rebound, the fear was another hard-luck story was in the post. But this growing Celtic side had the ability to come again, with Palma lazering in from an angle on the right-hand edge of the box after Daizen Maeda had flipped over a cross from the opposite wing that eluded all but the Honduran. And the ability to not allow themselves to be put away as their herculean efforts in this thunderous contest started to take their toll.