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Emanuele Tramacere
Translated by

Leao fails to shine in Cristiano Ronaldo's No 7, Hojlund celebrates with his "siuum" and shoves Jorge Jesus away

R. Leao
C. Ronaldo
R. Hoejlund
Denmark vs Portugal
Denmark
Portugal
UEFA Nations League A
AC Milan
SSC Napoli

CR7 was not on the pitch, but his presence was still felt in Denmark v Portugal.

In the end, Jorge Jesus was right. The first Portugal side without Cristiano Ronaldo won and impressed 4-2 against Denmark in a game left “open” at the back but packed with goals and chances. Among the standout performers was AC Milan's Goncalo Ramos, who finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, but inevitably it was the greatest absentee of all who became the focus of the debate around this match.

For one, former AC Milan man Rafael Leao carried the weight of huge expectation after taking his No 7. Then there was the provocative "siuuum" celebration from Napoli striker Rasmus Hojlund.


  • Leao fails to shine

    Before the match, Jorge Jesus moved to draw a line under the Cristiano Ronaldo chapter, definitively or almost definitively: "I am completely calm, with a clear conscience regarding this situation". He then handed Rafael Leao a start in the game and, with it, Ronaldo's place.

    Wearing the number 7 shirt, the former AC Milan man again mixed bright moments with wasteful ones. Early on he almost scored after cutting inside onto his right foot, but he also missed from a few yards out and gave the ball away at times in the final third, forcing his team-mates to put in overtime.

    His night ended in the 63rd minute when the Portuguese head coach sent on Trincao in his place. Even so, the decision to start him in the No 7 shirt in the first match of the post-CR7 era still feels like a signal.

  • Hojlund’s siuuum

    Yet the man to get under Cristiano Ronaldo's skin, despite not even being on the pitch, was Rasmus Hojlund. As had already happened in past meetings between Denmark and Portugal, he marked the 53rd-minute goal for 2-2 with a celebration that was anything but ordinary: first he raised a finger to catch the attention of the crowd, then he leapt, spun and mimicked the classic "Siuuum" made famous by the former Portuguese Ballon d'Or winner.

    Tribute on the day of the controversy, or a provocation? Hojlund had certainly done it before, in 2025, when CR7 was on the pitch as his opponent. He had also already declared his admiration for the Portuguese in the press: "My idol, however, is Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a winner and always wants to improve."

    Then came the shove towards Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus after the match, during the handshakes in the middle of the pitch, and that completely clarified the Dane's position: he did not like the treatment reserved for his idol at all.

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