CELTIC players and fans awoke today to the realisation they are very much still in the Champions League.

Only a score draw stands between them and a place in the quarter-finals following the 0-0 first leg against AC Milan at a pulsating Parkhead.

Of course, achieving that result - or better - in the San Siro on March 7 will take a Herculean effort from Gordon Strachan and his players.

But if they can finish level once against Milan without hitting anything like their best form, and while undermining their own chance by failing to show the belief Strachan reckons is more than justified, why can't they do it again?

Make no mistake, Milan came to Glasgow intent on not only winning the first leg, but finishing the tie as a contest.

So, despite the bullish rhetoric of their manager Carlo Ancelotti before he boarded his flight back to Milan, for the intervening fortnight, all the pressure is very much on the Italians.

They may have underestimated the obstacle posed by Strachan's Celtic. After all, it is certainly not the best, strongest or most experienced collection of players to have represented the Parkhead club on this stage.

But it is already the most successful, having progressed further in the Champions League than any Hoops side which preceded them, enjoying a run of six games without conceding a goal at home en route.

That should have earned them at least some measure of respect, even if injury and ineligibility appeared to weaken their chance of making it a fair contest against Milan's star-studded line up.

But from the first whistle last night, the tactics of the visitors were clearly designed to get this job done - and with as little fuss as possible.

On chances created, they could have achieved their objective. But that would have been cruel on a Celtic side which made up with effort and resilience their shortcomings in creativity and control.

Qualities which will be every bit as essential in the San Siro, but which must be supported by more intelligent use of the ball.

Despite the official stats of the match showing Celtic enjoyed 57% of the possession, what they did when they did have the ball did not satisfy the manager.

The tendency to hit it long to relieve pressure at the back merely invited even more pressure in the next wave of fast-moving attack.

The defence could not get out, the game got stretched, and the midfield risked becoming over-run as a consequence of the ground they then had to police.

Fact is, Celtic can play much better than that, and regularly do.

And yet, it was a performance which has kept alive their ambition of maintaining more than a spectators' interest in the elite club competition - so it couldn't have been that bad.

Milan did threaten to make them pay for some naivety and bad decision-making, but not very often. Their best chance fell to striker Alberto Gilardino - later booked for an outrageous dive in the box - after 25 minutes of not-so-gentle probing.

Taking advantage of a poor attempt by rookie Darren O'Dea to play him offside, Gilardino's shot was deflected past for a corner by the alert Artur Boruc.

But as he looks back on how he celebrated his 27th birthday, the Polish keeper will be satisfied the rest of his shift was fairly routine.

Milan keeper Zeljko Kalac was seldom troubled either, though he did have to move quickly to get his huge frame down to stop a Shunsuke Nakamura free kick sneaking past him six minutes before the break.

The game would certainly have benefited from a goal. But finishing without one merely adds to the intrigue surrounding the return leg a fortnight today.

CELTIC: Boruc, Wilson, O'Dea, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Sno, Lennon (Gravesen 81), McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Miller (Jarosik 63). Subs not used: Brown, Telfer, Riordan, Perrier-Doumbe, Kennedy. Booked: Nakamura.

AC MILAN: Kalac, Oddo, Kaladze (Bonera 63), Maldini, Jankulovski, Gourcuff, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Kaka, Gilardino (Oliviera 76). Subs not used: Storari, Cafu, Costacurta, Simic, Brocchi. Booked: Maldini, Gilardino.

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway). One by one

ARTUR BORUC Made a vital first-half block from Gilardino and some decent stops after the interval.

MARK WILSON Delivery could have been far better when in advanced areas but didn't give anything away at the back.

STEPHEN McMANUS Disciplined display from the big defender. Cleared his lines and never looked troubled.

DARREN O'DEA The youngster can be proud of his display in by far the biggest game of his career.

LEE NAYLOR: Wasn't as impressive going forward as he usually is but no shortage of effort.

SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA Quiet evening by his own standards but still looked the most likely to create something for Celtic.

NEIL LENNON Delivered another strong European appearance and managed to keep Kaka in check for most of the night.

EVANDER SNO Handed a surprise start in the middle of the park ahead of Gravesen and justified the decision by handling the biggest test in his career.

AIDEN McGEADY Never managed to hurt the Italians. Tried to get forward but usually found a couple of players in his way.

JAN VENNEGOOR OF HESSELINK Didn't have the chance to attack any good crosses inside the penalty area. Well policed by the Milan backline.

KENNY MILLER Toiled to make headway against a well organised Milan defence.

JIRI JAROSIK Brought on in attack for Miller with just under half an hour remaining but couldn't make the ball stick.

THOMAS GRAVESEN Replaced Lennon with 10 minutes remaining in a bid to provide a fresh pair of legs in the engine room.

FANS Not up there with the usual European atmospheres, but that was also down to the type of game with chances few and far between.

GORDON STRACHAN Made a couple of changes and went for a solid side, but can be happy at not losing a vital away goal. Need to know

Was it a good game?

It was absorbing without ever really hitting any great heights.

Who was Celtic's best player?

No-one sparkled, but Sno deserves credit for 90 minutes of non-stop action.

And Milan's top man?

Even at 128-years-old, Paolo Maldini is a world-class act.

What about the ref?

Terje Hauge was on top of the game throughout, though booking Nakamura for a trip on Pirlo seemed harsh.

Who's up next?

It's another tough trip to Inverness on Sunday for the Scottish Cup.