Speaking to Celtic TV after the whistle, Ange Postecoglou said: “It was a good game, and I thought it didn’t feel like a friendly game.

“Both sides were going at it and it’s exactly what you need because sometimes friendly games can be a bit passive, but I thought both teams went for it and it was a good contest.

'It felt like a real game and whenever you play away from home in Europe it’s a bit of a challenge, so for us, it was a great exercise.'

“We did well in some parts and in other areas we will need to improve, but overall the key thing for me is that it was a good contest.”

The match with Rapid Vienna was always going to be a step up in quality from Wednesday’s 7-0 win over third-tier Austrian side Wiener Viktoria.

Rustiness was to be expected considering it was the first minutes of football for most of the squad this season, and with the league campaign beginning at home to Aberdeen three weeks on Sunday, it’s all vital preparation.

He added: “As it should be, it’s still early and the international boys have only been with us for a week.

“It was going to be a good challenge against an opposition which is a few weeks ahead of us in terms of preparations.

'But we need to expose the boys to real football and match pressure because we want to make sure we’re ready.'

“There were positive moments and some areas to improve, but you only find that out if it’s a good game and that’s the main thing to take away that we found positives and negatives.

“Sometimes these friendly games can be meaningless but today was a good one and there’s stuff we need to reinforce to improve.”

Manager: Rapid Vienna was a great contest and exercise for the boys