IT looked, smelled and sounded like a Champions League occasion in Glasgow’s east end last night but Celtic have a bit of work to do yet before they are back at European football’s top table.

A second goal of the night from Malmo’s Jo Inge Berget, and it just had to be the former Celtic flop, in the final seconds of five added minutes leaves this Champions League play-off on a knife-edge.

The reason for that is because, for all Ronny Deila’s men know how to play good, attacking football, they are also prone to avoidable moments of sloppiness.

Celtic were 2-0 up and allowed Malmo to creep back into it, then they made it 3-1 and were unable to see out that result, which would have left them as favourites to make the group stage and net the club a cool £20million into the bargain.

Big crowd, noisy away fans, even louder home support, floodlights on, that big football covering the centre circle and Zadok the Priest soaring into the Glasgow sky before kick-off.

Just like the good old days. But it was some bad habits which hurt Celtic. So, so frustrating.

Celtic are a better team than Malmo but next Tuesday’s return is now going to be nervy in the extreme. Deila opted for the on-form Leigh Griffiths over Nadir Ciftci and was rewarded with two very good, yet very different, goals.

For 75 per cent of the match Celtic were terrific and they were never more impressive than in an astonishing opening salvo.

Within a minute, Forrest skinned Yoshimar Yotun, not for the last time, to win a corner which was floated into the box by Stefan Johansen. Virgil van Dijk rose highest but the Malmo defence managed to block and then clear the ball, although less than convincingly. It was a warning and one that Malmo did not heed.

Less than three minutes were on the clock when Stuart Armstrong drifted off the left wing and into the middle.

He slipped the ball to Johansen, who produced a pass which was as perfect as the run from Griffiths that made it possible. Malmo looked for an offside that wasn’t there and Celtic’s striker placed his shot into the bottom corner.

It was 2-0 after 10 minutes. Sustained Celtic pressure forced Anton Tinnerholm to concede a corner. Johansen stepped up and again his delivery was spot on, Bitton met the ball from close range to score his third of the season.

It should have been three moments later. A move that included Emilio Izaguirre and Griffiths put Johansen through on goal, but Malmo keeper Johan Wiland saved with his legs. Griffiths then saw a shot go just wide of the post. It was hard to keep up.

But then a pass went astray, a player was dispossessed and the Swedes got a foothold, albeit a small one.

Malmo got more than a sniff of a chance midway through the opening half when the ball should have been cleared but instead ended up at the feet of Vladimir Rodic on the edge of the home penalty box.

Craig Gordon, though, did really well to push his effort round the post with his left hand in his first significant involvement of the evening.

The Swedish champions enjoyed more possession than they should have for a while, due mostly to Celtic giving them the ball, but they didn’t really threaten. The Scottish champions, for their part, had one more opportunity in the half.

Ten minutes from the break, Armstrong aimed a curling effort for the opposite top corner – it was not far away.

That sloppiness which had crept into Celtic’s game cost them five minutes after the interval.

Celtic had possession close to the Malmo box – they had just won a corner – but the ball went free, it was punted up towards the halfway line where Brown was and his header, aimed at Izaguirre, found only a Malmo player.

Within seconds, Rodic was scampering down the right wing, he crossed towards the back post where Jo Inge Berget was and he produced a stunning finish – well it stunned everyone who watched him do diddly squat for Celtic.

And then Gordon was diving high to his right to keep out a well-hit effort from Nikola Djurdic. Nerves had crept in, just a little. Celtic needed to do something. So they scored a third just after the hour.

Mikael Lustig decided to put in a cross which should have been easily cleared by Tinnerholm, but instead he headed the ball straight up in the air, Griffiths sniffed a half chance, rose bravely and took it.

It looked for all the world that both sides had settled for the result but, in the dying moments, a Malmo corner was not dealt with and Berget wheeled to fire high into the net from four yards.

Celtic never make it easy for themselves.