This was not the start plotted on Gordon Strachan’s drawing board for Celtic’s 2008-09 Champions League adventure. Aalborg, of Denmark, have not had a single player quoted in their country’s last two international teams and remain a team of modest ability, regardless of their heroics at Celtic Park last night. There is no denying that this was an opportunity squandered by Celtic.

Bruce Rioch’s team have a mere fraction of Celtic’s wealth and experience, yet they quite resolutely stifled any attacking ideas that Strachan’s men threw at them. There is no humiliation at Champions League level in drawing at home, yet Celtic were still guilty of allowing meagre opponents to thwart them. Already, group E for the Scottish champions is guaranteed to be a hard slog.

The game descended into confusion after 80 minutes when the referee, Matteo Simone Trefoloni, sent off Michael Beauchamp, seemingly for a last-man lunge on Georgios Samaras when the striker was through on goal, when in fact it had been Michael Jakobsen who committed the foul.

Understandably, the bemused Beauchamp took an eternity to leave the field, while a throng of angry Aalborg players surrounded the referee. Rioch was also contesting the decision by the dugout.

Yet that farce with ten minutes remaining could not deflect from Celtic’s lack of inspiration on the night. There was an imprecision about much of the home side’s passing and a general bluntness about their play in or around the penalty box. To add to these failings, Barry Robson also missed a penalty after half an hour which, had it been converted, might well have altered the shape of the match.

To add to Celtic’s frustration, Scott Brown had a “goal” disallowed for off-side by the linesman after 77 minutes, but television replays later showed the midfield player was onside.

Celtic had played so thrillingly in winning 4-2 at Motherwell last weekend that Strachan decided to preserve as much as he could of that team. Marc Crosas, the young Spaniard, was never going to start last night, and made way for Shunsuke Nakamura’s return. But it was Shaun Maloney’s dynamic presence since returning to Celtic that effectively meant Aiden McGeady started on the bench.

Celtic Park generated its usual thunderous atmosphere, and the strumming folk singers had been on the pitch, whipping up Celtic’s emotions with their little ditties. But the first half soon turned to disgruntlement for the faithful as Aalborg had the gall not only to thwart Celtic, but to cause them one or two frights. In particular, when Jakobsen’s free kick hurried past Artur Boruc’s right upright, and Jeppe Curth’s shot slid wide of the other post, there was mild consternation in the air.

This was not meant to be in the script. Aalborg, the so-called whipping boys of group E, were supposed to be in Glasgow as mere Danish patsies. But by the time Celtic lined up to face yet another free kick on the edge of their box, even though Kasper Risgaard shanked the effort high and wide, the prematch Celtic Park euphoria had died.

Celtic’s lack of conviction was summed up after 30 minutes in Robson’s penalty miss. Maloney, bursting into the box, wriggled this way and that before drawing Steve Olfers into the lunging tackle. While Maloney looked as if he had been losing his footing, Olfers did catch him with a leg, and not a single Aalborg player protested when the referee pointed to the spot.

Robson, however, made a hash of the penalty. Karim Zaza, Aalborg’s goalkeeper, chose not to throw himself so far to his left, leaving enough body in the way to block the Celtic midfield player’s effort. Indeed, Zaza looked as if he had studied Robson’s spot-kick method and called it right. It was a calculated save.

The first half had been dismal from Celtic, but a credit to Aalborg. Celtic could hardly complain at the Danes’ suffocating style of play – how often have they tried it themselves when facing superior teams in Europe? But something dramatic was required to transform the home team, who had been distinctly laboured in their approach, and it duly arrived in the form of an early second-half onslaught.

Nakamura’s shot was blocked inside the area, and then Samaras, who had a fine game for Celtic, turned and slid his shot just wide of Zaza’s left-hand post. These early salvoes after the break served to bring the crowd back to life, yet Aalborg remained robust and tactically disciplined. An hour of play passed and still Celtic had not caused them any sustained anxiety.

The inevitable happened after 62 minutes. Strachan could allow little more of this fruitless play to continue before introducing McGeady to the fray. It involved a tactical readjustment for Celtic, with Scott McDonald coming off, McGeady taking up a position on the left, and Maloney being drafted in more centrally alongside Samaras.

Celtic began to throw everything at the Danes, including Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who came on for Maloney after 71 minutes, thus giving Celtic some brute, physical force through the middle. Samaras again shot wide of Zaza’s post and then Brown had a goal disallowed for off-side after 77 minutes. In the end, it proved a thoroughly unimaginative night for Celtic.

Celtic (4-4-2): A Boruc – A Hinkel, G Caldwell, S McManus, L Naylor – S Nakamura, S Brown, B Robson, S Maloney (sub: J Vennegoor of Hesselink, 71min) – G Samaras, S McDonald (sub: A McGeady, 63). Substitutes not used: M Brown, P Hartley, M Wilson, M Crosas, G Loovens. Booked: McManus, Samaras.

Aalborg (4-1-4-1): K Zaza – S Olfers, M Beauchamp, M Jakobsen, M Pedersen – T Augustinussen – J Curth, A Johansson, K Risgaard, T Enevoldsen – M Saganowski. Substitutes not used: K Stenild, A Due, Caca, S Braemer, P Kristensen, L Nielsen, R Schwartz. Booked: Johansson. Sent off: Beauchamp.

Referee: M S Trefoloni (Italy).