Rasmus Hojlund scored twice as Napoli defeated Sporting in the Champions Leagueplaceholder image
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice as Napoli defeated Sporting in the Champions League | UEFA
The Man Utd loanee combined with Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne for Napoli in the Champions League.
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice as Napoli defeated Sporting 2-1 on Wednesday night to record their first win in the Champions League league phase.
The Manchester United loanee latched onto a through ball from Kevin de Bruyne to open the scoring in the first half and gave his side the lead again in the second half when he connected with a cross from De Bruyne to head in his second of the match.
It means Hojlund now has three goals in five matches since he joined Napoli on loan in the summer, though his scoring exploits in the Champions League might not be much of a surprise to United fans. Although he struggled during his time at Old Trafford, Hojlund actually scored five goals in his six Champions League appearances for the club, with his style of play better suited to the European stage.
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Hojlund grabbed the headlines with his Player of the Match performance in midweek, but a few eyebrows were also raised at his choice of celebration. Despite only playing a handful of games for his new club, the 22-year-old clearly feels at home in Naples and made that obvious with his celebration for the opening goal.
After he put the ball in the back of the net, Hojlund raced over to the corner flag and pointed at the Champions League badge on his sleeve, before he then touched the Napoli crest. It felt like a timely reminder from the Danish striker of his talents after he was frozen out by Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford in the summer and replaced by RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko.
Speaking after the win, Hojlund played down his celebration and piled the praise on Man City legend De Bruyne for his role in the victory. “It was the night you dream of, playing in the Champions League," he told UEFA at full-time. "I celebrated touching the Napoli badge because I’m happy to play here, and the Champions League badge because I love to score in Europe.
"I don’t like to talk about my performance, but about the team. Playing with an exceptional talent like Kevin De Bruyne is special. I played with a lot of incredible players in Manchester United as well, but Kevin is an exceptional talent. He's won so much and he is a legend of the game. For me, it is just about finding the spaces and he'll put the ball in the space, just for me to run into it."
Hojlund has joined Napoli on an initial season-long loan move with an obligation for the deal to be made permanent for £38million next summer if he plays in enough matches and they qualify for the Champions League.
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