Rasmus Højlund puts Portugal on alert with tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo and nudge for Jorge Jesus
Rasmus Højlund stunned Portugal with a pair of flashpoints during Denmark's 4-2 defeat. The striker celebrated in Cristiano Ronaldo's trademark style and then gave Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus a shove after the final whistle.
Højlund struck in the 53rd minute to finish a Denmark counter-attack in style. Clean through against Diogo Costa, he dinked the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to make it 2-2. The Napoli striker then sprinted to the corner flag and celebrated like Ronaldo. He twirled his finger in the air before pulling out the trademark spinning jump as the stadium shouted "Siu".
That looked like a tribute to the Portuguese icon, with Højlund having said openly on several occasions that he is a Ronaldo fan. The Dane has copied the five-time Ballon d'Or winner several times before. He did so, for instance, in 2025, when he scored against Portugal in a 1-0 win.
Earlier this week, Ronaldo was already at the centre of a stir after staying on the bench for the entire match against Norway, a 2-1 defeat. He had apparently been told he would get minutes, but the head coach changed his mind because of the scoreline.
Ronaldo then reacted to his departure on Instagram. "After the national team's press conference and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team's training camp," he wrote.
After the Nations League match, Højlund clashed with Jesus and then gave the head coach a shove. What sparked it is still unclear. Portuguese media have weighed in, though. A Bola called it a strange moment and noted that the head coach smiled after the incident.
O Jogo described it as a light shove and linked the celebration to Ronaldo's retirement from international football. Record called the shove "a less than friendly gesture", but also noted that Jesus tried to defuse the situation with a smile, while the newspaper said Højlund gave the Portuguese a death stare.
