Luis Palma's Celtic goal had dad in tears as he reveals pre match pep talk to clam son's Champions League nerves

Luis Palma was so nervous before Celtic's clash with Atletico Madrid he had to phone his dad to calm him down.

But he paid back Palma senior by becoming the first Honduran to score a Champions League goal for nine years and only the third to find the net in the history of the competition. Palma cannoned a crisp strike past Jan Oblak and in off the far post to put the Hoops 2-1 up in the Group E clash. Kyogo had given the hosts an early lead before Antoine Griezmann's leveller from the spot.

Palma's strike put them back in front, only for Alvaro Morata to head Atleti level once again in a much-improved second half showing from the Spaniards. Palma looked at home at the highest level, but he required a pep talk from his father before the group stage match. Dad Enrique said: "Luis was nervous before the game and I told him he had to control himself.

"I said to him to put this game in God's hands and that I and his mother were going to keep him in our prayers. He was anxious and I advised him that he had to control his emotions because he is a high-quality player. I feel so proud of my son.

“I know that the words of encouragement that I gave him before this match he understood very well and he told me that he was going to put them into practice. And he did. The truth is, yes there were tears from us when he scored. I'm impressed with everything he did in the game. He is working so hard right now."

Palma became the first player from Honduras to score in the Champions League since Andy Najar netted for Anderlecht in 2014. Prior to that, the only other Honduran to score in the competition was Jose Cardona for Atletico Madrid in 1966 in the European Cup.