AC Milan's late show denies brave Celtic

AC Milan's striker Filippo Inzaghi exults after scoring against Celtic during their Champions League football clash in Milan

AC Milan scored twice in the last two minutes to beat Celtic 3-1 in a dramatic Champions League clash which edged the Italians closer to the knockout stages.

Celtic looked to be heading for their first ever point away from home in the competition until the home side's class finally told in the closing stages.

Slovakian defender Stanislav Varga headed Celtic's equaliser 16 minutes from time after Andriy Shevchenko had scored on his 28th birthday to give Milan an early lead.

Milan restored their advantage in the 88th minute when Shevchenko crossed for substitute Filippo Inzaghi to prod home from close range before Andrea Pirlo's deflected free-kick compounded Celtic's misery.

While Milan and Barcelona have taken maximum points from two matches, Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic have yet to get off the mark.

The day before the match Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he had instructed his players to get the ball into Celtic's penalty box early and their direct approach gave them a seventh minute lead at the San Siro.

AC Milan's defender Alessandro Nesta(L) jostles with a Celtic unidentified player during their Champions League clash in Milan

Kaka sliced his way through several desperate lunges with a mazy run before setting up Shevchenko, whose angled, left-footed shot across David Marshall gave the Celtic keeper no chance.

With Milan's midfield giving little away, Celtic struggled to get out of their own half and it wasn't until the 22nd minute that they produced their first effort on goal, Varga heading wide from Stilian Petrov's corner.

Shevchenko almost doubled his tally just after the half hour mark when he ran onto Jon Dahl Tomasson's superb flicked header, but the Ukrainian's shot lacked conviction, giving Bobo Balde enough time to boot the ball to safety.

Balde turned from saviour to villain just before half-time when he lost possession to Shevchenko on the edge of the penalty box.

The prolific Milan striker, who scored both goals in Sunday's 2-1 win at Lazio, then crossed low for Kaka but the Brazilian's shot was superbly palmed away by Marshall.

Scottish champions Celtic, roared on by 10,000 travelling fans, started the second half more positively and Senegalese striker Henri Camara had two strikes on goal within a minute, only for Milan keeper Nelson Dida to save comfortably.

AC Milan's defender Alessandro Nesta(R) controls the ball over John Hartson of Celtic during their Champions League clash at Meazza stadium in Milan

Celtic striker Chris Sutton, playing in an unfamiliar role in midfield, was booked on the hour for a late challenge on Rino Gattuso, who knows all about Scottish grit having spent a season with Celtic's arch rivals Rangers.

The visitors grew in confidence and Dida had to be quick off his line to claw the ball away from the prowling Camara, who began to unsettle the home defence.

Celtic deservedly levelled the scores in the 74th minute.

Petrov delivered a right-wing corner to the edge of the six-yard box and Varga leapt purposefully to plant an unstoppable header into the roof of the net.

Celtic defended in numbers to protect their draw, but they paid for their caution when Inzaghi did what he does best, pouncing from close range to stab home Shevchenko's driven right-wing cross.

Pirlo gave Milan a scoreline that flattered by scoring in stoppage-time with a free-kick that struck the wall and wrong-footed Marshall before hitting the net.