Inverness hold Celtic scoreless at the break

Inverness 0 Celtic 0

Shaun Maloney missed a great chance to open Celtic’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League account in an open but goalless first half at Inverness.

Celtic started slowly but Maloney was played clean through midway through the half only to hit the post from inside the box.

Lukasz Zaluska saved well from Adam Rooney as Inverness impressed on their return to the SPL.

Swedish defender Daniel Majstorovic has been quoted as saying he is about to sign for Celtic after Lennon's defence failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 matches since the end of the close season.

And the Hoops back four was almost breached in the opening minute when Hayes burst into the box with a forceful run, before Glenn Loovens came across to clear.

The hosts created the first shooting chance when Adam Rooney caught Kevin McCann’s cross cleanly on the volley only for the shot to flash a yard wide.

Celtic strikers Georgios Samaras and Shaun Maloney were seeing little of the ball as Inverness dominated possession and Charlie Mulgrew resorted to a crude block on Hayes shortly after being beaten on two occasions by the winger.

Celtic took almost 15 minutes to threaten when Cha Du-ri pulled the ball back for McCourt but McCann slid in to prevent the former Rochdale player converting, and Russell Duncan soon tested Lukasz Zaluska with a 25-yard drive at the other end.

Hayes was causing Celtic a major headache and he crossed for Eric Odhiambo after a sharp build-up with the forward heading over from eight yards.

Maloney missed a great chance in the 21st minute though after Samaras played him clean through after a long ball fell for the Greece striker.

The Inverness defence stood waiting for a flag that never came but Maloney struck the top of the post from 15 yards with only Ryan Esson to beat.

Inverness soon created another opportunity from a wide area as Rooney glanced over after impressive wing play from Nick Ross.

Cha took a poor touch after Maloney had threaded a superb pass through the right channel and Inverness created their best chance of the half in the 32nd minute.

Hayes was again the provider, beating two men to the ball inside the box before helping the ball into the path of Rooney, whose low shot was blocked by Zaluska at the edge of the six-yard box.

The game was now flowing from end to end and Gillet blocked shots from both Fortune and Joe Ledley after a low cross by Samaras, who soon had several opportunities himself.

The former Manchester City striker saw a header saved from Mulgrew’s cross before sweeping Fortune’s cutback just over the bar. Samaras then rose to meet Mulgrew’s back-post corner but his downward header was blocked on the line by Ross.

Esson ensured the half was goalless in injury-time when he blocked Fortune’s near-post effort with his defence stretched.