- Hojlund felt targetted against San Marino
- Was subject to several dangerous tackles
- Hit out at defenders after sealing a 2-1 win
WHAT HAPPENED? The Manchester United striker scored the opener in Denmark's 2-1 win over San Marino with just minutes left on the clock until half-time. However, the opposition resorted to dirty tricks to unsettle him as the defenders lunged in dangerously in what seemed to be deliberate attempts to injure the striker. The worst tackle was committed by Roberto Di Maio in the 88th minute when he kneed Hojlund from the back without any attempt to play the ball. This left the striker fuming and he insisted that the San Marino players were on a mission to finish his career.
WHAT THEY SAID: "The last duel had nothing to do with football," the United frontman told TV2 after the match. "It ended up being laughable in the end. Such a duel must not just turn into a yellow card. It's a knee in the back – straight red card if you ask me."
Hojlund silenced the crowd after scoring the opener which reportedly offended San Marino duo Alessandro Tosi and Filippo Fabri, but he insists the reaction against him was not justified.
"I think it is disrespectful that they hit and tear," Hojlund responded.
"I can't say much other than that I think they are the ones who started, and then the game just went on. They took it to the next level because they have nothing to lose. They thought: 'Well, fine enough, we might as well try to destroy the career'."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Denmark skipper Simon Kjaer was also left furious and compared Di Maio's challenge to one in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when Colombia defender Zuniga took down Neymar from behind, which forced him to miss the rest of the tournament.
"I said in the end that it is a clear red card against Hojlund, because it is 100 per cent deliberate – and I think that there has been a situation with Neymar," he said. "Exactly the same when he gets a knee in the spine, where he actually breaks his back."
Kjaer even claimed that he overheard San Marino players discussing how to go after Hojlund.
"It’s dangerous, and they are right next to it," he added. "After all, I told him [the referee] right on the pitch that now they are going after his knees after the situation down there. I also said to the referee 'do you want me to translate now?‘ We also have VAR. You can see all the way down from behind that he is doing it 100 percent deliberately."
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Hojlund will now shift his focus to club football and will return to action with Manchester United against Sheffield United on Saturday in a Premier League encounter.