"It is an honor to compete together."
Denmark defeated Portugal 1-0 at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League on the 21st (Korea time) at Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark. The second leg will be played on the 25th.
On this day, Denmark seized a chance to score first in the 24th minute of the first half. Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) took the penalty kick awarded after a foul by Portuguese midfielder Renato Veiga (Chelsea), but it was thwarted by opposing goalkeeper DIO (Porto).
It turned into a fierce contest. Denmark was the one to score first. In the 33rd minute of the second half, Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United) calmly finished off a cross from Andreas Skov Olsen (Brugge). Notably, Hojlund mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo's (Al Nassr) signature celebration after scoring.
After scoring, Hojlund jumped up energetically in front of Ronaldo, spun halfway around, and landed with his arms outstretched. It was Ronaldo's signature "SIUUUUUU" celebration. Responding to a reporter's question about whether he mocked Ronaldo after scoring, Hojlund strongly rebuffed, saying, "It was fantastic. I played against my idol, Ronaldo. Scoring the goal decided the match. There couldn't have been a better situation."
Following Hojlund, Denmark defender Rasmus Kristensen criticized the Danish home fans. He expressed strong disappointment toward the Danish fans who jeered at Ronaldo after Denmark's first goal. Kristensen, who plays for Frankfurt, expressed his admiration for Ronaldo.
Kristensen said, "I was extremely disappointed in the Danish fans who dared to jeer at Ronaldo. You should not act like that when we are facing the greatest player in history," adding, "It was an honor to play against such an iconic figure."
[OSEN]