FORM is temporary, class is permanent. For all the talk of Odsonne Edouard’s mind being elsewhere this season, he showed that he was still sharp enough between the ears to sniff out the all-important goal that maintains Celtic’s interest in European football.

He may have taken some stick for using fatigue as a reason to sit out some matches so early in this campaign, but the only thing that is looking tired after his intervention here are the arguments suggesting his mind isn’t fully on Celtic.

Whether he is to remain at the club after Monday’s transfer deadline remains to be seen, but his goal here ensures that he will have played a massive part in their season regardless.

Time was, the conversation after a Scottish side played in Europe was about how the domestic game had ill-prepared them for the challenges posed by continental opposition. But Celtic can hardly say they haven’t chewed on the sort of conundrum posed by Sarajevo before.

For some time though, they looked as though they might just choke as their opponents poured all of their energies into strangling the game. Thankfully for Neil Lennon and his men, their own reserves of energy were greater, and they can now breathe easy in the rarefied air of the Europa League group stages. And deservedly so. It may not be where they want to ultimately be, but the alternative outcome following their Champions League qualifying defeat to Ferencvaros was unthinkable.

As such, Lennon had told his players to treat this match like a cup final, but for the most part it resembled an attack versus defence training exercise as Celtic pounded on the Bosnian’s door before it finally crumbled with 20 minutes to go.

There was just one change from the side that dismantled Hibernian on Sunday, and while that technically may have been enforced due to the injury picked up by Albian Ajeti, Edouard would likely have been given the nod to start with Moi Elyounoussi in attack in any case. And he showed just why.

Just eight minutes in though there was an unavoidable change, with Nir Bitton caught late and being replaced by his countryman Hatem Elhamed on the right of the back three.

Still, it was a positive start from Celtic, with the Scottish champions knocking the ball about confidently, but the parallels with the game in Riga last week were instantly apparent. Sarajevo were sitting deep, hoping to frustrate Celtic and hit the visitors on the break.

And frustrate them they did. For all the ball that Lennon’s side were enjoying, they were struggling to create much by the way of scoring opportunities in the opening 25 minutes.

There was no one who felt the irritation at being stymied so badly more than Edouard, who barely got a sniff until just after the half hour when he finally was able to break with some grass to run into, but he was thwarted as he tried to cut inside by the trailing leg of a defender.

It took until five minutes before the break to make Vladan Kovacevic in the Sarajevo goal work for his wage, as a delightful touch from Edouard saw the ball fall perfectly for Elyounoussi to volley towards goal, but it was a fairly routine stop in the end.

Still, it was something to get mildly excited about for perhaps the only time in the half.

We didn’t have to wait as long for such a moment after the break, and Kristoffer Ajer really should have put Celtic ahead as he missed his kick when a corner fell perfectly for him six yards out. But Celtic had a more determined look about them now, and Greg Taylor’s cross just evaded the head of Edouard before Elyounoussi tested Kovacevic from distance once more.

It looked as though Celtic were taking control, but there was a sniff of a chance at the other end as Shane Duffy did just enough to put off Hrvoje Milicevec as he rose to meet a corner at the back post and glanced wide.

It was a reminder for Celtic, and they looked to have taken heed of the shot across their bows. They returned fire with a howitzer from Ryan Christie that whistled just over, before Elhamed had a glorious chance as he met an outswinging Christie corner with a sweetly-hit volley that whizzed just wide.

It seemed like a matter of time before Celtic made the breakthrough, and with 20 minutes to go, they duly did. Christie had a shot across goal that Kovacevic could only parry, and there was Edouard on the spot to tuck home from eight yards.

Suddenly, he was a player transformed, surging forward from a Sarajevo corner and pirouetting through two challenges before teeing up Elyounoussi, but the Norwegian’s shot was weak and easily fielded by Kovacevic.

He then burst forward once more on the counter as Sarajevo finally pushed out of their own half, playing Christie in only for the angle to narrow and the ball to be scrambled clear.

That would be Edouard’s last contribution before being replaced by Patryk Klimala. But he had already done more than enough.