Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund and Denmark were knocked out of the Nations League after a quarter-final defeat to Portugal.
It was Rasmus Højlund who gave his country a lead going into the second-leg against Portugal, with the Manchester United striker scoring the only goal in the first clash last week.
The 22-year-old celebrated like Cristiano Ronaldo afterwards and was criticised for disrespecting the United legend – he claimed it was intended to be a mark of respect for his favourite player.
However, in the end, it was Portugal who came out on top in a dramatic second-leg game which ended 5-2 after extra-time.
Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of everything for Roberto Martínez’s side while Ronaldo got on the scoresheet after missing an early penalty.
Portugal are set to face Germany in the semi-final of the Nations League while Denmark will be focusing on their World Cup qualification campaign.
Ronaldo gets Højlund celebration revenge
Ronaldo made it clear before the second-leg that he did not take offence to Højlund’s imitation of his celebration but did suggest he would pull out the “Siuu” if he scored in the second-leg.
“It’s no problem for me. I know it wasn’t out of disrespect. It is not only him who does my celebration around the world,” the Portuguese legend told reporters on Saturday night.
“I’m smart enough to understand that. For me it is an honour. I hope to do it in front of him tomorrow [on Sunday]. It will be good. I’m glad he likes my celebration.”
That is exactly what Ronaldo did when he fired Portugal into the lead in the second-half of the game. Though, victory was only secured in extra-time after Ronaldo was substituted.
Højlund breaks silence on Denmark exit
Despite being on the wrong end of the result, Højlund believes that Denmark can be proud of their efforts against a strong Portugal side.
“First of all, we are disappointed. I also think we can look ourselves in the mirror,” the United striker told TV2.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘satisfied’ because we have high expectations for this team, but we are happy with the performance.
“But we are four and a half minutes away from the Final 4, and you can feel it in there.
“I can’t lie and say that I’m not a little angry and disappointed right now.”
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