Celtic were thankful for Fraser Forster saving a late penalty from Jens Stage to secure a draw in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie.
Odsonne Édouard missed a couple of early chances for Celtic before scoring with his third opportunity, his clever finish taking his tally for the season to 25. Neil Lennon’s side had controlled the game until the break but Dame N’Doye equalised.
In what was Celtic’s first experience of VAR in a competitive game, the Russian referee Sergei Karasev used a pitchside monitor to give Coepenhagen a penalty in the 78th minute for a Ryan Christie handball – his yellow card meaning he misses the return at Parkhead. Forster came to his rescue to tip Jens Stage’s penalty on to a post, leaving the tie finely balanced.
Lennon made three changes. The teenage right-back Jeremie Frimpong made his European debut and on the other flank Jonny Hayes came in for the injured left-back Greg Taylor.
Christie took over from Leigh Griffiths, who was left behind in Glasgow with a niggle, and less than a minute had been played when he sent Édouard clean through on goal. However, his shot was blocked by Karl-Johan Johnsson, with the defender Victor Nelsson blocking Édouard’s next effort from a tight angle and the ball ricocheting out for a goal-kick.
Johnsson again thwarted Édouard after he raced on to a James Forrest pass three minutes later, and then saved midfielder Olivier Ntcham’s rebound shot.
It was an encouraging start and the 3,000 or so Celtic fans packed behind the goal were soon celebrating when Callum McGregor took a Christie pass and moved the ball on to Édouard who this time dinked the ball over Nelsson and Johnsson from 10 yards for a deserved opener.
Celtic controlled the tempo but the home side had a chance when Bryan Oviedo drove in from the left but missed the target with a shot as unconvincing as his side’s first-half performance.
Copenhagen raised the tempo after the break and after Ntcham was caught in possession outside the box, Rasmus Falk played in N’Doye and he flashed a shot from 12 yards past Forster and in off the post.
McGregor fired high over the crossbar at the end of a swift Celtic break, before Mohamed Elyounoussi replaced Ntcham. Édouard stabbed a Hayes cut-back at goal from eight yards but Johnsson blocked with his foot. Nir Bitton replaced Scott Brown before Celtic had to withstand a period of heavy pressure.
Celtic will be favourites to make the last-16 but they will have Forster to thank if they succeed and only themselves to blame if they do not.