Don Cowie takes issue with free-kick awarded against Ross County for Celtic winner - and Brendan Rodgers praises Ronan Hale

The Staggies looked set to become the first team to earn points against Celtic this season, but Nicolas Kuhn scored a late winner in the 88th minute.

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Ross County's manager, Don Cowie, expressed his displeasure over the free-kick decision that resulted in Celtic scoring the decisive goal late in the match against his team.

The Staggies were heading towards a significant victory over the Hoops after Ronan Hale scored a penalty in the first half. However, Celtic managed to level the score when Alistair Johnston found the back of the net in the 76th minute.

A draw would have been a good result for the Dingwall team, but Nicolas Kuhn’s goal just two minutes before the end clinched the victory for the Hoops.

Before Kuhn's decisive goal, Jordan White, a substitute for Staggies, was called for a foul on Luke McCowan. Cowie believed that the referee's decision was incorrect.

Despite his team's brave performance against the Premiership champions, Cowie felt let down that this was the factor that separated the two teams.

Cowie expressed disappointment at the players' performance, considering the hard work they had put in once more.

They managed to keep a high-caliber team from creating many genuine chances to score.

"We mentioned earlier that our focus was on maintaining a tight structure and high concentration, and I certainly observed plenty of that within the team."

The equalizing goal was somewhat lucky; it came off a bounce.

"In my opinion, they managed to score a goal from a free-kick that shouldn't have even been called a foul in the center of the field."

Jordan extended his foot but didn't touch Luke McCowan. He subsequently lost possession of the ball, leading to a free kick for the other team.

"At that point, we weren't in the best form, and a strong team will take advantage of that, which is exactly what occurred."

“At the moment, I didn't believe it was a free kick; having watched it again, I still don’t think it is.”

"We could have responded and stopped the goal, but it's frustrating that the call didn't favor us."

"I inquired with the referee about the situation, but I didn't receive a reply. He has his viewpoint, and I have mine."

Rodgers Praises Hale's Outstanding Performance

Celtic's manager, Rodgers, spoke highly of County striker Hale, who has now scored seven goals in 11 games across all competitions since joining from Cliftonville in the summer.

Hale scored from the penalty spot on his second try after his first attempt was blocked by Kasper Schmeichel, who was later ruled to be off his line when the kick was taken.

Hale, who was born in Belfast and has played for the Republic of Ireland's under-21 team, is currently working on getting approval to play for Northern Ireland.

Rodgers is happy about the influence his compatriot Hale has had and is optimistic that national team coach Michael O’Neill can take advantage of his presence down the line.

He said, "I was really taken aback that Ronan managed to score against Celtic."

"He’s off to an impressive beginning in Scotland. So far, he has netted four goals in eight league matches. He has become an excellent role model for the team."

"It's wonderful for him. Clearly, he has performed exceptionally well at Cliftonville. He has arrived here at an ideal age, bringing valuable experience with him. He has demonstrated his skills, as we've witnessed with his fantastic goal against Hearts, which was an impressive finish."

"He demonstrates his goal-scoring abilities. Matches like these will contribute positively to his career. I'm really happy for both him and Michael that he has the opportunity to bring him on board."

"If you have a top-level finisher like him, you can expect great things from him."

"Don has begun his career and management this season on a very strong note. Fortunately, we were able to perform well in the second half to achieve a positive outcome."