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The ongoing international break in football has not been short of any drama and the recent internet-breaking moment has been delivered by Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund. The 22-year-old Dane scored a late goal for his team, sealing the victory against Portugal. However, the moment that everyone is talking about is the celebration that the Dane hit after his goal.
The Red-Devil forward performed the iconic ‘Siuuu’ celebration after scoring his goal, right in front of Cristiano Ronaldo, the original performer of this celebration. This first leg victory has given Denmark a slight edge in this quarter-final of the UEFA Nations League.
Watch the video here:
Denmark dominated much of the match, creating numerous scoring opportunities. In the first half, they were awarded a penalty after Portugal's Renato Veiga handled the ball in the box. However, Christian Eriksen's attempt was thwarted by Portugal's goalkeeper, Diogo Costa. The perforamance of Costa was a highlight for Portugal, as he made several crucial saves to keep his team in contention. Despite Costa's heroics, Denmark's persistent pressure paid off when Hojlund, introduced in the 69th minute, found the net nine minutes later.
Cristiano is everything to me: Rasmus Hojlund spoke about his idol in an old interview
After mimicking the iconic Ronaldo celebration, Hojlund went on to clarify that he performed the celebration as a tribute to his idol and did not intend any mockery, as perceived by certain fans. In an old interview, Hojlund had stated his liking and respect towards Cristiano Ronalo. He said, “Cristiano is everything to me. I fell in love with football because of Cristiano, I became a Manchester United fan because of Cristiano, I started self-training because of Cristiano, I started doing push-ups and situps everyday before I go to bed because of Cristiano, because I wanted to be Cristiano.”
Justifying his celebration in a post-match interview, Hojlund spoke about how it was almost a fan-moment come true for him. He said, “The 7-year old fan in me might’ve gotten the upper hand after I scored.” after hitting the Ronaldo celebration in front of his idol himself.
The second leg of this fixture is scheduled to take place in Lisbon, where Portugal will aim to overturn the deficit. The aggregate winner of this tie will advance to the semi-finals to face either Italy or Germany.
