Celtic leave it late as Nicolas Kuhn snatches winner at Ross County

Posted Sunday, October 06, 2024 by PA

Nicolas Kuhn grabbed a late winner as Celtic came from behind to beat Ross County 2-1 in Dingwall.

The winger struck his sixth goal of the season in an 88th-minute counter-attack to maintain Celtic’s perfect start to the league season.

Ronan Hale became the first player to score against Celtic in the William Hill Premiership when he converted a retaken penalty in the 42nd minute following a VAR-assisted handball decision against Liam Scales.

The champions had struggled to break County down but their efforts were rewarded when Alistair Johnston got the final touch following a 76th-minute corner and Kuhn continued his impressive start to the campaign by having the final say.

The German was sent running down the right by Johnston’s searching pass and he cut inside a defender before curling the ball inside the far post.

Alex Valle, Reo Hatate and Adam Idah had come into the Celtic team following their 7-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

Brendan Rodgers’ side had 80 per cent of first-half possession but Kasper Schmeichel was the busier goalkeeper.

It was all Celtic in the opening stages but there were few clear-cut chances and Elijah Campbell made a brilliant last-ditch challenge to prevent Kuhn converting Daizen Maeda’s square ball.

Schmeichel had to get down well to deny Hale after a long ball and Noah Chilvers came close from the rebound.

The Celtic goalkeeper made two more comfortable saves from headers and Maeda missed the visitors’ best chance of the half when he sent a free header wide from Johnston’s cross.

The key first-half moment came when Michee Efete’s cross hit the raised arm of Scales and Kevin Clancy ultimately pointed to the spot after being called to the monitor by video assistant Nick Walsh.

Schmeichel did his best to unnerve Hale, who also had to put up with the noise and drumbeat from the travelling fans behind the goal, and the Denmark international dived to his right to stop the spot-kick.

However, Clancy ordered a retake after word came through from the VAR headquarters that the Celtic keeper was well off his line and Hale fired an unstoppable penalty into the bottom corner second time around. It was the Belfast-born forward’s seventh goal in 11 matches since joining from Cliftonville.

There were scares for Celtic either side of the interval.

Schmeichel spilled Josh Nisbet’s shot but it squirmed wide and Hale came close to chipping the goalkeeper from 40 yards after Johnston had gifted possession to County near the centre circle in his own half. The striker’s effort sailed over the keeper’s head but drifted just off target.

County were still making life difficult for Celtic’s attackers and Callum McGregor tried to take matters into his own hands by bursting into the box, but he placed his shot just wide.

Ross Laidlaw had his first test following Maeda’s one-two with Hatate and the goalkeeper saved from close range with the help of Efete’s lunging tackle.

Celtic’s substitutes added some impetus and the pressure told following Paulo Bernardo’s corner. Laidlaw kept out Kyogo Furuhashi’s flick but was beaten when McGregor’s follow-up diverted off Johnston.

Celtic went looking for the winner and Kuhn provided it before escaping a second yellow card after running into the away fans to celebrate while already on a booking following an earlier clash with Connor Randall.