Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised the impact of Kelechi Iheanacho after the half-time substitute netted in a 1-1 draw against Red Star Belgrade.
The post deadline-day signing replaced Daizen Maeda at half-time after the Japan international struggled in the centre-forward role in Serbia.
Celtic had failed to make any chances from open play by half-time but they immediately improved, forcing three saves before Iheanacho took an excellent touch in the box and stroked the ball into the top corner in the 55th minute.
On the performance of Maeda, who was denied a summer move because of the club's failure to source an adequate replacement, Rodgers told BT Sport: "He wasn't at his best, or nowhere near it. However, he's a good guy and sometimes that happens in the game.
"I could have made a couple of changes at half-time. I wanted to make that one certainly to give us that greater reference at the top of the pitch. I thought Kels coming in was very, very good for us.
"We needed someone centrally to hold the ball up. I felt that we arrived into the final third in the first half and then we were either loose with the ball or didn't hold the ball up.
"It's one of Kels' great strengths. He can take the ball in, he can use his body well and obviously allows you to progress up the pitch. So he gave us a really much better platform in the second half."
Celtic could not build on the opening goal and Marko Arnautovic scrambled the ball home from a corner 10 minutes later.
But they held firm from some aerial pressure and Rodgers was pleased with the point against a side who, like Celtic, also suffered a shock Champions League play-off defeat after competing in Europe's elite competition last season.
"This is a good point for this squad of players and for us coming here," he said.
"You come here, to a team that's obviously won all of their domestic games, seven out of seven, coming to Belgrade is always a tough game.
"We had opportunities in the second half in particular. But we showed great resilience and showed moments of quality.
"Kels' goal was absolutely outstanding and we had other moments in the second half.
"I still want us to be a little bit more proactive in the game. But overall, it was a nice first step for us in the competition."
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