Rasmus Hojlund has responded to accusations that he was mocking Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring Denmark’s winning goal against Portugal on Thursday. The Manchester United striker netter the winner in the 78th minute and then produced Ronaldo’s trademark ‘Siu’ celebration - in front of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Arguably the most famous celebration in world football, countless players at various levels have copied Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ in recent years - often out of respect for the legendary Portuguese forward. But there’s been a backlash on social media against Hojlund after the 22-year-old did the celebration while Ronaldo, who didn’t have his best night, watched on.
Denmark and Portugal went head-to-head in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals in Copenhagen. Portugal boasted the stronger team on paper but it was Denmark who secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory thanks to Hojlund, who recently brought an end to a 21-game goal drought with Man United.
Hojlund finished off a neat team move, tapping the ball calmly into the bottom corner of Diogo Costa’s goal after being picked out by Andreas Skov Olsen. Manchester United’s No. 9 then wheeled away in celebration. Watch the clip below:
Hojlund Speaks Out About Copying Ronaldo's Celebration
Insists he wasn't mocking his 'idol'
Rasmus Hojlund vs Portugal
Asked about performing the ‘Siu’ in front of Ronaldo, Hojlund explained his decision to reporters after the match, insisting it was out of respect for his ‘idol’. He told Danish broadcaster TV2, per ESPN: "It's for my idol. It wasn't to mock him or anything.
“He's had such a huge impact on me and my football career. Maybe it's a bit ambivalent, but to score against him and Portugal, it's huge.”
He added: “I remember him scoring from a free-kick in 2011 when I went to watch the match, and since then I've been a huge Cristiano fan."
Denmark 1-0 Portugal - Match Statistics
Denmark
44
23
9
7
2
0
Whether Cristiano appreciated Hojlund copying his celebration at that exact moment is unclear, but it’s clear there was no malice intended from the Denmark international. Ronaldo, who registered just 30 touches and two shots on goal, surprisingly played the full 90 minutes.
Asked why Ronaldo wasn’t subbed off for Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez told reporters, per Sportskeeda: “I believe in everyone. Goncalo Ramos, it is the first time he has arrived at our squad in the League of Nations. Goncalo is a very important player for us. It is not a question of who is left out and inside.
"The stop from November to March, there are times when the intensity, pace and synchronisation is not there and it was not Cristiano as spearhead, it was in the areas that we expected and it was not the problem of the spearhead.”