After a dreadful defeat in Europe against Borussia Dortmund, Celtic were desperate to bounce back this afternoon when they clashed heads with Ross County in Dingwall. But the Hoops suffered a setback late in the first half when the Staggies grabbed a surprise lead thanks to Ronan Hale’s spot-kick. They grabbed a lucky equalizer with 15 minutes remaining before Nicolas Kuhn found the winner moments before the final whistle.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their 2-1 win against Ross County.
Kasper Schmeichel: 6.5
Made some routine saves. Stopped Hale’s initial shot but was off his line. The Irishman made no mistake in scoring his second attempt.
Alistair Johnston: 8.5
Was shambolic in Dortmund. Retained the starting spot after recovering from a knock and he made a mark at Victoria Park with a goal and an assist en route to scripting a late comeback. Callum McGregor’s off-target attempt hit his hip and went into the back of the net. Also, assisted Kuhn down the right who fired in the winning goal with sheer expertise.
Auston Trusty: 7
Was not always spot-on with his tackles, but the USMNT start made some timely interceptions, won key duels and maintained accuracy while playing it out from the back.
Liam Scales: 6.5
Must take the blame for committing a handball inside the box which led to Hale’s opening goal. Did well otherwise as he dominated the duels, won tackles and showed his aerial and physical presence inside the box.
Alex Valle: 7.5
Made the opportunity count with his tireless runs, crosses and link-up play down the left-hand flank. Improved his defensive game as the young Barcelona loanee has finally hit the ground running after a disastrous debut in the League Cup.
Callum McGregor: 7.5
Not at his best as his long-range attempts failed to trouble Ross Laidlaw in the Ross County goal. Yet he kept on carrying the ball forward, operated in the advanced areas and contributed to the equalizer.
Arne Engels: 6.5
Played some one-twos in the middle of the park. Used the width of the pitch a few times, but the Belgian failed to offer enough creative spark before making way for Paulo Bernardo around the hour mark.
Reo Hatate: 6.5
Hatate, too, could not dominate the midfield game despite successful dribbles and swift movements. Made way for Luke McCowan around the hour mark.
Nicolas Kuhn: 8
Looked menacing from the wide as he eventually showed his quality by cutting inside and shooting home from just inside the box. Another heroic performance from the young German who has now helped the Hoops overcome the nightmare of Signal Iduna Park.
Daizen Maeda: 6.5
Lost the majority of duels. Made a few attempts to find the target but he was overall predictable with his runs and moves. Was replaced by James Forrest midway through the second half.
Adam Idah: 6
Was handed a start ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi. But the Republic of Ireland international struggled to get along while spearheading the attack. Made way for the Japanese ace around the hour mark.
Celtic Subs Vs Ross County
Paulo Bernardo: 7
Looked lively since coming on. His corner led to Johnston’s equalizer.
Luke McCowan: 7
Injected pace, flair and finesse in and around the attacking third.
Kyogo Furuhashi: 6.5
His intelligent dummy run opened up space during the equalizer.
James Forrest: 7.5
Was direct and decisive since his introduction. Made a positive impact high up the pitch.
