Editor: They needed to hold a clean sheet, and Celtic will now go to San Siro looking to play on the counter and getting that crucial away goal. First part of a job well done, now if only Strachan can get his men off the injury list in time.

Celtic and AC Milan played to a scoreless draw in Glasgow tonight despite furious shooting from a Milan side that was expected to be underachieving on offense. Though both sides were missing important playmakers, Milan was the more depleted squad, and Celtic missed a golden opportunity to take goals out of the side before the tie goes to San Siro.

Milan came into Celtic Park still officially favored, but with many experts and fans calling for an upset. Two major injuries at the forward position, to Alberto Gilardino and Clarence Seedorf, made them both questionable for the opening leg of the Round of 16 tie. Gilardino managed to start on his troubled knee, but Seedorf’s thigh kept him sidelined. Along with Ronaldo being cup tied (having played earlier rounds for Real Madrid), Milan looked to be a little short on scoring threats. On the Celtic side, Craig Beattie was out with a hamstring that’s plagued him many times over.

If there was going to be a problem with scoring for Milan, they certainly showed no signs of letting it affect their aggressive style of play, coming out shooting from the start. As Milan’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti knows well, Celtic has a tendency to start slow, and to spend the first fifteen or so minutes of a match sizing up their opponents instead of attacking. Even in their domination of the SPL this season, they’ve been outscored by their opponents in the opening minutes, and any team that wants to beat Celtic has to come out swinging. Their ten shots in the first half showed their aggression, but none of them were particularly good chances, and it was Celtic that had the first real shot to draw blood.

Milan entered the match aware that the biggest threat from Celtic was probably Shunsuke Nakamura and his nasty habit of scoring on free kicks. But Naka is also an effective passer and fed a great ball to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who looked just not ready for the opportunity, one of the few he would get all match. The only other realistic chance for Celtic in the half was a Nakamura free kick that was easily defended by Milan keeper Zeljko Kalac.

Throughout the first half, Milan took a number of long and off-center shots, looking like they were more interested in keeping the pressure on the Hoops than in developing good chances. Their game was faster-paced than Celtic’s, and in the opening moments of the second half, it looked as if they had been able to get Celtic into a similar mindset. Aiden McGeady’s shot in the 48th minute was a bit of a scare for Kalac, but it was well handled, and followed up by a few tries from Evander Sno and Lee Naylor that looked more like the way Milan had started the match. But when Celtic wins, it is more by patience and clever play than by this sort of aggression, and they settled down soon after.

Gilardino played confidently despite the knee issues, and took a good low shot at 74′, but Celtic’s Boruc was not seriously threatened. In all 18 of Milan’s shots, there wasn’t really one that demanded too much worry. Celtic had a few chances late, with Thomas Graveson missing wide and then Vennegoor missing another pretty feed from Naka in the closing minutes. Hoops fans were audibly frustrated with the lack of the late surge they’ve come to expect from Celtic, a team that may not start quickly, but that almost always ends well, especially at home.

The tie now travels to San Siro on March 3rd, assuming that Italian officials can shore up security there. Keep an eye on SoccaCritics for more coverage of that - we’ll certainly report any change in venue if that is forced to occur. Celtic has got to be pleased with not allowing any away goals, but they’ll have to play a but more in the opponent’s side of the pitch if they’re going to get away with a win in that match.

Note: This match report was brought to you by Socca Critics, a soccer fan site that brings you match reports from all the Premiership and Champions League games.