Cristiano Ronaldo took to social media with a response after Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund replicated his iconic celebration post-scoring for Denmark. After Portugal was dealt a late blow by Hojlund in their Nations League quarter-final first leg, losing 1-0 at Parken Stadium on Thursday, Ronaldo voiced his determination. The Danish striker's goal in the 78th minute quashed any embarrassment for Christian Eriksen following a missed penalty early in the game.
Portugal faces the challenge of overturning a one-goal deficit in the return leg on Sunday if they want to secure their spot in the semi-finals under Roberto Martinez's leadership. The celebrated ex-United star Ronaldo is confident about reversing fortunes in Lisbon, stating confidently on Instagram in Portuguese: "We have 90 minutes to turn around," followed by a rallying cry: "Roll on Portugal!"
Hojlund found the net after breaking his own 23-match scoring drought for United at Leicester the previous Sunday. He explained the motivation behind his emulation of Ronaldo’s signature move during his stint with the national team.
The elated United No. 11, speaking to TV2, expressed: "I'm playing against the world's best footballer, my idol, and to score a goal and win the match... it couldn't be better.
Hojlund underscored that the gesture was solely a homage, not mockery, sharing: "It's for my idol. It's not like I'm mocking him or anything. I've just always said that he has a lot of importance to me and my football career."
He added: "It's maybe a bit ambivalent, but scoring against him and Portugal is huge. I was there and saw him in 2009 when he scored from a free kick and I've been a fan ever since."
In addition to Ronaldo, Hojlund also faced off against his United team-mates Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, both of whom were in the starting lineup for Thursday's match.
The winner of the tie will go on to face either Italy or Germany in the semi-finals of the tournament this summer.
This article first appeared on the Manchester Evening News.