Nicolas Kuhn has expressed his belief that Jefte was fortunate to avoid a red card during the Old Firm clash at Ibrox. The Celtic winger required three minutes of treatment for a bloody nose after the Brazilian caught him with an elbow just before half-time.
Referee Don Robertson issued a yellow card for the incident, and VAR official Nick Walsh deemed the punishment sufficient.
While Kuhn accepted the 3-0 defeat to Rangers, he couldn’t hide his frustration over the leniency shown towards his opponent. Speaking after the game, Kuhn highlighted an earlier foul by Jefte that he felt should have been considered.
“I’m not the VAR but, yeah, there was also a kick,” Kuhn said, his bruised face bearing the evidence of the clash.
“But, as we said, it was not our best game. The situation, I don’t decide, and we have to keep going. I didn’t realise what happened in the moment, so afterwards I didn’t know if it was yellow or anything else.”
Discussing his injury, Kuhn added:
“I don’t know if it’s broken. It’s a little bit painful, but we’ll be fine. I’m still a little bit dizzy but, yeah, it’s going to be fine. The loss was more painful.”
Despite the setback, Celtic bounced back emphatically with a 3-0 victory over St Mirren on Sunday. Rangers’ earlier slip-up at Easter Road allowed Brendan Rodgers’ side to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership to 13 points.
“The most important thing was that we showed a reaction on Sunday, and now we focus on the next game,” Kuhn explained.
“We had to show a reaction after the last game, and that’s what we did. We’re happy that we got the three points.
It was really important. We’re not used to losing, and against St Mirren we did much better, scored some goals, and were happy with the three points.”
Kuhn was instrumental in the victory, scoring twice to bring his season tally to 16 goals. Reflecting on his impressive form, the winger credited the team around him for his success.
“I think that it’s the best, but it’s also the best team I’ve played in yet,” he said.
“All the team-mates, the staff, make it a lot easier for me, and I’m just happy to be here.
I feel really good, I’m happy to be here and everyone makes it easy for me. I’m just enjoying playing.
We just have to perform well, and that’s what I try to do. For me, the most important thing is to stay fit, that’s what I have always said.
And, in the end, it’s about winning trophies. I’m not so focused on the numbers.”
Cannot believe Jefte did not get a red card for the assault on Kuhn and by the way it was no accident you saw him sniggering after he elbowed Kuhn in the face. Rangers started that game with pure venum as they thought they had been cheated at the Scottish cup final not receiving a penalty. Var and the refs do favor Celtic and Rangers at times it’s not just one sided. I always say they should get refs in from other countries our own refs are far too biased.