Rasmus Højlund has accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of poor sportsmanship after the pair pushed each other following Denmark’s match against Portugal at Parken last Thursday.
The Danish international striker said the incident had nothing to do with Jesus leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out of Portugal’s starting line-up, but was instead caused by the coach failing to make eye contact during their post-match interaction.
“The shove didn’t really have anything to do with Jorge Jesus’s coaching decision. It was because he couldn’t be bothered to look me in the eye. I think it’s poor sportsmanship,” Højlund told broadcaster TV2 after Denmark’s 1-0 win over Wales in Cardiff.
“It’s perfectly fine to give a proper handshake after a football match. I got a very cold shove to the chest, and he just looked right past me. So that’s why I just pointed it out: ‘Hey, are we being serious here?’”
Højlund, a lifelong admirer of Ronaldo, had already added to the tension during the match by performing the Portugal forward’s trademark “Siuuu” celebration after scoring Denmark’s second goal to make it 2-2.
The gesture came against the backdrop of growing attention around Jesus’ decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, as well as the forward’s sudden departure from the Portugal camp one day before the game.
After the final whistle, Jesus went on to the pitch to greet the players. He shook hands with Højlund and patted him on the chest, before the Denmark striker responded with a light but clearly visible push and walked away looking unhappy.
Jesus appeared to try to ease the situation immediately, smiling as Højlund moved past him. In subsequent comments, he said he did not know why the forward had reacted in that way, but laughed off the exchange.
Højlund’s comments came after Denmark had beaten Wales 1-0 in Cardiff. Portugal, meanwhile, won the match at Parken 4-2, maintaining a perfect record in their Nations League campaign.