Rasmus Hojlund picked the perfect moment. The Danish forward buried his goal against Portugal and celebrated in the style of the absent Cristiano Ronaldo, sending the Parken Stadium into raptures and earning his country a thrilling 2-2 draw in the standout fixture of the third round of UEFA Nations League group action.
Portugal arrived in Copenhagen for the clash at the Parken Stadium under extraordinary circumstances, taking the field without their talismanic captain.
Hojlund struck the fatal equaliser for Denmark, then sprinted to the corner flag, leapt high and let out the famous “Siiiu” cry Ronaldo made his own throughout his career. The celebration landed like a direct message to the Portuguese after their captain’s fallout.
Ronaldo had walked out of the Portugal camp on Wednesday, returning to Madrid after a bitter rift erupted between him and head coach Jorge Jesus.
At the heart of it was the Norway match in the second round, where “the Don” did not play a single minute despite being promised he would feature.
The Portuguese star made his final call to leave just hours after Jesus insisted he was the first and last decision-maker in the national team, admitting he had broken his promise to Ronaldo to play him for part of that Norway game.
So Hojlund’s tribute to Ronaldo rubbed salt into the Portuguese wound, turning the Parken Stadium into a stage for mimicking the legend who abandoned his national team just hours before kick-off.
Leave a Reply