By Kenny MacDonald

GLASGOW (Reuters) - Striker Kenny Miller converted a penalty to put Celtic's first Champions League points on the board in Group F with a 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Miller slammed a low spot-kick beyond keeper Jesper Christiansen in the 36th minute of a game which Celtic deserved to win after enjoying the lion's share of the possession.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, whose team had lost 3-2 at Manchester United two weeks ago, said Miller had only volunteered earlier in the day to take any spot kicks, having just managed to squeeze one home for Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier against the Faroe Islands.

"He decided this morning he would take them and made sure I had a nervous seven hours after seeing that first one he took for Scotland," Strachan told reporters.

"I don't think Naka (Shunsuke Nakamura) understood what he said with the penalty takers. He was waiting for his interpreter to speak, but Kenny got in there first."

Miller could have had a hat-trick but for the fine form of ex-Rangers keeper Jesper Christiansen.

Miller fired the penalty past him after Japanese midfielder Nakamura had been brought down by Michael Gravgaard.

But Christiansen pulled off an astonishing one-handed save a minute from the interval from Miller's six-metre header following a cross on the left by Lee Naylor.

BLOCKING SHOT

Christiansen was then out quickly to block Miller with his legs after Aiden McGeady put the striker free on the left side of the box in the 66th minute.

The Danes struggled to make any impact and the closest they came in the first half was a wayward back header from Celtic defender Stephen McManus which spun away from Polish keeper Artur Boruc for a corner.

They only registered their first shot on target in the 65th minute when Hjalte Bo Norregaard launched a 25-metre drive which Boruc dived down to block and then gather at the second attempt.

Strachan praised defender Paul Telfer for his unselfish running to create space for Nakamura.

He told reporters: "Naka appreciates him because he runs 50 yards without the ball to give him two - there's not that many players do that."

Copenhagen manager Stale Solbakken said: "1-0 to Celtic was a fair result. I thought we kept their chances down to what we expect. They got a penalty and two or three chances and that's what we hoped for."

Solbakken added: "I also hoped we would create more chances ourselves. No complaints (about the penalty). I have not seen it on telly but obviously the referee was thinking hard for a second or two."