Celtic kicked off the new Champions League format by securing a convincing 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava, marking their largest win in the group stage era.
Prior to the match, Brendan Rodgers expressed his confidence in his team's readiness to compete in Europe's premier competition, a sentiment that was validated as Liam Scales opened the scoring with a header in the 17th minute.
Although the Scottish champions missed several opportunities in the first half, they found their footing after the break.
Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, and substitute Adam Idah propelled Celtic to second place in the league standings.
On paper, this was considered Celtic's best chance to secure three points, facing a debutant side at this level of the Champions League. Despite Kevin Wimmer scoring for the visitors, Celtic had more opportunities.
Slovan had gone unbeaten in eight qualifying matches, making Celtic's dominant display even more impressive. The victory sparked a celebratory atmosphere among the fans, who had waited a decade for a home group-stage win before last year's victory over Feyenoord.
Maeda had a chance to double Celtic's lead before Scales' goal, missing a good opportunity early on. The opening goal came from a corner delivered by Engels, with Scales converting at the near post, beating the goalkeeper.
Rodgers' side missed another chance to extend their lead right after the first goal, as Furuhashi's attempt was saved by Takac.
Despite several missed opportunities, Celtic remained focused on scoring in the second half. Kuhn set up Furuhashi for the second goal early on, followed by Engels scoring the third after a foul on Johnston.
Engels and Furuhashi continued to threaten Slovan, with both players forcing saves from the opposition goalkeeper. However, a clearance error allowed Wimmer to score for Slovan.
Celtic quickly regained control of the game, with McGregor and Maeda adding to their tally. Maeda scored in the 70th minute, capitalizing on a setup by Celtic's Japanese players.
Idah sealed the victory with a goal in the final minutes, assisted by James Forrest.