Feyenoord got off to a winning start in the Champions League as they overcame a Celtic side reduced to nine men in the second half.

The Rotterdammers dominated possession in the first half in De Kuip, but Celtic had the better chances until Calvin Stengs opened the scoring with a wickedly swerving free-kick.

Celtic’s Gustaf Lagerbielke was dismissed after 63 minutes when he was booked for the second time for pulling back Igor Paixão in the penalty area, but Joe Hart saved the Brazilian’s spot-kick.

But five minutes later the match was effectively ended as a contest when Odin Thiago Holm followed his team-mate into the dressing room as punishment for a lunging tackle on Mats Wieffer.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who came on to replace Paixão just before the second red card, sealed the win when he crashed in a low cross after 76 minutes.

Coach Arne Slot said his team overcame a nervous start to the club’s first Champions League match for six years, until Stengs’s free-kick broke the deadlock.

“After the first half, which wasn’t our best of the season, we were able to make it an exciting contest. I was pleased that we didn’t play anxiously but with personality,” he said.

Feyenoord suffered a setback when midfielder Luka Ivanušec was stretchered off with an ankle injury later in the game. Slot said it was doubtful if the Croatian would be fit for Sunday’s Eredivisie showdown with Ajax in Amsterdam.

In the other match in Group E, Lazio’s goalkeeper Ivan Provedel scored a stoppage-time equaliser to claim a point at home to Atletico Madrid, leaving Feyenoord top of the group. Feyenoord travel to Madrid for their next match on October 4.