Celtic battled out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Italian giants AC Milan in the Champions League at Parkhead tonight.
But the Scottish champions will have to find their shooting boots for the return leg at the San Siro in a fortnight's time to have any real hope of progressing to the last eight.
Frontmen Kenny Miller and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink failed to convert the chances they carved out for themselves, while the Milan defence also proved too strong for dead-ball specialist Shunsuke Nakamura.
Celtic now face the prospect of finishing the job in Italy against the six-time winners of European football's top prize.
Gordon Strachan's biggest headache ahead of the visit of the Rossoneri tonight was who would play alongside Miller up front.
Injuries kept Craig Beattie, Maciej Zurawski and Vennegoor of Hesselink out of training yesterday but the news that the latter had been passed fit would have come as a welcome relief to the 60,000 fans crammed into Celtic Park.
There was an added boost for the home side, with the appearance of John Kennedy on the bench for the first time since the horrific knee injury which almost ended his career in March 2004.
Instead, the list of players unavailable to the Italians read like a 'Who's Who' of European football.
The sight of injury doubt Alberto Gilardino in the Milan starting line-up was tempered by the absence of Clarence Seedorf, who failed a late fitness test despite receiving further treatment at the team hotel earlier today.
The cup-tied Ronaldo, the injured Filippo Inzaghi and the banned Marco Borriello failed to make the trip to Glasgow.
But, with plenty of quality on the park, it was no real surprise to see Milan attempt to take the tie by the scruff of the neck from the outset.
Artur Boruc was called into action in the opening minutes, the Celtic goalkeeper diving low to block a 25-yard drive which was coolly dispatched by Kaka.
Undeterred, Celtic hit back with a decent effort of their own.
A Nakamura free-kick was too far out to cause any real damage on its own but Vennegoor of Hesselink was inches away from connecting with the header at the back post.
The Dutchman then found himself the victim of a lunging tackle from Paolo Maldini, who marked his 100th Champions League appearance with a yellow card after just 10 minutes.
The home fans were on their feet when Aiden McGeady released Miller into the box but he ended a surging run with a disappointingly weak effort, which was easily held by goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac.
Milan provided a timely reminder of the quality within their ranks, Yoann Gourcuff testing Boruc with the header, before Gilardino fired across the face of goal and a yard wide of the target.
Nakamura joined Maldini in the book for a foul on Andrea Pirlo, before coming agonisingly close to snatching the lead for Celtic shortly before half-time.
A Kakha Kaladze challenge on Vennegoor of Hesselink just outside the box provided Nakamura the opportunity he had been waiting for, but his fine curling effort was matched by Kalac, who smothered at the near post.
It was the man Celtic fans love to hate - former Rangers midfielder Gennaro Gattuso - who almost opened the scoring shortly after the restart.
Kaka was the provider with an inch-perfect ball and Gattuso looked certain to have the net bulging, but he was left holding his head in despair instead after drilling just wide of the right upright.
At the other end, Celtic were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area, for a Massimo Ambrosini foul on Miller, but Nakamura fired tamely wide.
Both teams made changes with just over an hour gone, Jiri Jarosik replacing Miller, while Milan swapped Kaladze for Daniele Bonera.
Gilardino picked up a foolish yellow card for diving, claiming he had been tripped by Boruc, when in fact he looked as though he could have beaten the goalkeeper to the ball and had a crack at goal.
Thomas Gravesen was introduced for Neil Lennon late on and he could have snatched a precious goal for Celtic only to fire just over the crossbar, leaving the Scottish champions' hopes of progression in the balance. But the last eight remains in their sights.
