UEFA Cup semi-final - Celtic 1 Boavista 1: To Celtic's disappointment the first leg of the semi-final was all too much in keeping with their stirring UEFA Cup run. They had nursed hope of a decisive victory over Boavista, but once again find that they will have to excel in a return match.

Henrik Larsson missed a penalty that would have beaten the visitors, but complete domination had never been achieved.

With Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool already beaten in the competition, better teams than Boavista have come to Glasgow this season, but Boavista may well have been the most resolute. Jaime Pacheco's side are so industrious that it is hard work to watch them.

So abrasive were they before the interval that Celtic were often ground down in midfield, reduced to making the most conservative of passes. The demonstrative Martin O'Neill used some of his gestures to indicate that the crowd should be patient. Those spectators ought, in any case, to have worked out for themselves that a swift conclusion to the semi-final was unlikely.

Boavista have committed so many offences that the team could appear on a "Wanted" poster. Before this tie they had collected 26 yellow cards and two red. Here, however, they did not look at all like desperados. Perhaps their commitment touches blood-curdling level now and again, but even in their own city they live in the shadows of Porto and appreciate how underdogs must act.

Ricardo, their goalkeeper and captain, had observed beforehand that Celtic were conventionally British in their attacking and he could have spent a quiet first half reflecting on his shrewdness. There had not been a single save of note from him.

It was only appeals for penalties that made them tremble, yet the first of them at least ought to have met with a favourable response from the Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere.

Anunciacao, harassed by the pace of Didier Agathe, tumbled in the eighth minute and then seemed to scoop the ball away with his hand while on the turf. Later, Martelinho appeared to block a shot by Larsson with his arm.

Yet Celtic's frustration did not stem purely from the official's indifference to their claims. Without giving much evidence of their gifts, Boavista checked O'Neill's team, isolating Larsson and John Hartson from the midfielders who should have been flooding towards them. Celtic looked static.

Boavista could have opened the scoring much earlier than they did. In the 17th minute Johan Mjallby lost his balance in the chase with Erivan and a low cross was turned into the path of Duda by Claudio. The sloppy finish, however, was deflected for a corner.

The character of the contest was unbearable to Celtic, but the manner in which it altered in the 49th minute could have left them distraught. Erivan dodged away from Neil Lennon and sprayed a pass to Luiz Claudio on the right. The cross he whipped low to the near post was so treacherous that Joos Valgaeren knocked the ball into his net.

Boavista's celebrations were understandably extravagant, yet they may have sacrificed concentration in the process. For virtually the first time in the evening they let the Celtic midfield make inroads and conceded an equaliser within a minute.

Lennon clipped the ball in from the left and a cushioned lay-off by Stilian Petrov invited Larsson to hold off a defender and stroke the ball home.

Still Celtic had to fight for every inch of territory as they strove to apply pressure. The contest was attritional, and when Hartson aimed a half-hit attempt that Ricardo blocked it was only because the strapping Bobo Balde had been able to force a free-kick in his direction.

Celtic cared nothing for aesthetics and it was clear that in as grinding a tie as this they needed to make the most of any piece of fortune. In the 75th minute the referee at last responded to a penalty appeal, ruling harshly that Eder had chosen to handle an Alan Thompson free-kick that had deflected towards him.

Larsson's contact from the spot was fairly good but the ball rose slightly and Ricardo was able to make an excellent save as he leapt to his right. Later, the goalkeeper would drop a cross from the substitute Momo Sylla but Paulo Turra blocked Hartson's attempt to stab home the loose ball.

Celtic know how hard it will be to make the breakthrough in Portugal now required to take them into the final. - Guardian Service

CELTIC: Douglas, Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren, Agathe (Sylla 74), Lambert, Lennon, Petrov (Fernandez 78), Thompson, Larsson, Hartson. Subs Not Used: Marshall, McNamara, Maloney, Smith, Crainey. Booked: Lennon, Balde. Goals: Larsson 50.

BOAVISTA: Ricardo, Mario Loja, Paulo Turra, Avalos, Erivan, Eder, Anunciacao, Martelinho, Pedrosa (Rui Oscar 90), Duda, Luiz Claudio (Cafu 46), Cafu (Bosingwa 81). Subs Not Used: William, Jorge Couto, Jocivalter, Yuri. Booked: Duda, Avalos, Martelinho, Paulo Turra. Goals: Valgaeren 49 og.

Referee: F De Bleeckere (Belgium).