They had called for Leigh Griffiths long before he arrived.

With record signing Odsonne Edouard toiling and the natives getting restless, the cry for Griffiths had gone out way before Brendan Rodgers threw on his last roll of the dice with just over 15 minutes to go of this opening Europa League game against a turgid Rosenborg side.

Only Griffiths could sign a new deal with Celtic and be given a rebuke to up his game by his manager at the same time. Only Griffiths could turn up for a European night on the back of a three-day speeding trial. And on a night like last night maybe only Griffiths can give Celtic that little bit of something in front of goal that they so desperately needed. Rosenborg sat deep, rarely ventured forward and were content to absorb much of what Celtic could throw at them.

If the opening period was largely forgettable, the second period was livelier as the Parkhead side menaced Rosenborg, growing more and more frustrated as the minutes rumbled by and the Norwegians held firm. Their pressure eventually bore fruit with just three minutes of regulation play to go and just 11 minutes after Griffiths had arrived onto the scene. Celtic, were just minutes away from clocking up a sequence of back-to-back goalless draws for the first time since Tony Mowbray’s ill-fated days in charge of the club in 2009.

It is a goal that sets the tone now for a Europa League campaign that Celtic will look to draw comfort from following their failure to make it into the Champions League group stages. There was just one change from the side who played out a drab goalless draw against St Mirren last Friday night, with Mikael Lustig coming in for Kristoffer Ajer who was struggling with a viral infection.

And for much of the opening period this game against Rosenborg was characterised by the same kind of lethargy as Celtic seemed to go through the motions against the Norwegians.

In some ways that could be attributed to the frequency with which they have come up against Rosenborg of last – this was the fifth meeting between the sides in 14 months – while Rosenborg too have improved since the last time Celtic faced them in July.

There was no such nonchalance in the stands, however, with the Celtic support coming out in admirable numbers as they faced up to the prospect of a season in Europe’s second tier tournament.

If the club have been spoiled by recent seasons in the Champions League there was an impression before last night’s campaign kicked off that the Europa League may offer a chance of some redemption in the wake of some bruising encounters in Europe’s premier competition.

Still, for much of the opening half there seemed to be a sense that familiarity breeds contempt as Celtic toiled to rouse themselves for the occasion.

It fell to Kieran Tierney to inject some life into proceedings as the Scotland full-back took to skinning his opposite number and delivering a couple of fine deliveries into the box as the game headed towards the interval.

His delivery just three minutes from the break after he left Vegar Hedenstad on his backside before whipping in a cross that Tom Rogic brought down on his chest.

The Australian swivelled before sending his shot away which was parried by Rosenborg keeper Andre Hansen. The rebound fell to Edouard but as Celtic waited for the French striker to burst the net from close range but Hansen was equal again to the attempt as he turned the effort onto the post.

A minute later Tierney was the architect again with a rasping ball across the box that James Forrest tried to get on the end of only for Rosenborg to scramble it to safety.

It was a frantic slurry to what had been a relatively staid opening half.

Celtic Park had held its breath when Lustig had clumsily brought down Issam Jebali in the box. As Polish referee Pawel Gil blew his whistle there was an audible sigh of relief as he booked the Roseborg player for diving and awarded a free-kick in Celtic’s favour.

It was, though, that kind of night for Lustig who was tentative and ill at ease defensively.

Other that Filip Benkovic had a header saved from a Callum McGregor corner kick while the Scotland midfielder then, on the cusp on the half-time whistle, had scooped an effort into the waiting arms of Hansen after breaking through.

Shortly after the restart Rogic broke through and broke out a save from Hansen but with McGregor bursting a gut and screaming for the pass at the edge of the box the Australian would have been better off utilising his colleague.

Celtic almost got the luck they needed when Edouard fed Tierney on the edge of the box but he couldn’t get his effort away cleanly and the and the ball was blocked. Before the hour mark had arrived Rogic was replaced by Scott Sinclair while Forrest made way for Mikey Johnston as Rodgers looked to shake things up a little. The two subs combined not long after their arrival to almost find the breakthrough. Johnston skipped and weaved his way on the flank before sending a decent cross towards the back post that Sinclair sent just wide of the target.

With just over 15 minutes to play, Rodgers put on Griffiths as Celtic looked to convert their pressure into a tangible lead. As Celtic kept looking for a way through it looked as though Johnston had found it. McGregor lost the ball with a careless pass inside the Rosenborg half but was dogged in retrieving possession. He fed Olivier Ntcham with the midfielder slipping the ball wide to Tierney and his cross was whacked just over the bar by the Celtic substitute. The goal, though, came as Celtic’s pressure finally gave way. Scott Brown’s ball was met by the head of Dedryck Boyata with Griffiths on hand to head the ball down past Hansen and get Celtic’s campaign up and running.