Scotland booked their place in the World Cup by defeating Denmark in dramatic fashion, but Rasmus Hjølund’s display of sportsmanship after the defeat was not well-received by all supporters.
Rasmus Hojland faced criticism from his own fans after congratulating Scott McTominay on social media following Denmark’s elimination.
Two stoppage-time goals at Hampden Park helped Scotland move to the top of the group. The hosts scored twice in the closing stages, the first scored by Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean scoring from his own half. This sparked huge celebrations for the Scottish team, who were playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. McTominay has been their talisman and scored the opening goal on Tuesday night.
The midfielder has reached a new level since leaving Manchester United for Napoli. Hojlund recently joined Napoli on his first loan move. The Dane congratulated his team-mate on Instagram, commenting on McTominay’s post: “USA baby. Scotland are coming!”
Hoylund’s reaction seemed to acknowledge his competitive spirit, and he was immediately criticized by fans. One person wrote: “This guy isn’t serious.” Another added: “You lost.” I have to say that many fans also praised his humility and sportsmanship.
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Some of the Danish team-mates did not take the loss well, so he will have to negotiate a play-off if he wants to qualify for the World Cup. Joachim Andersen was particularly angry at how the night had unfolded, deploring some of Scotland’s goals.
“It’s incredibly sad,” Andersen told TV2 Sport. “The results we’ve had in the last two games are laughable. It’s just disappointing. It’s disappointing. I think we played a good game. They scored an extraordinary goal. He will never score a goal like that again in his career.”
“Of course, it’s tough if you get a red card,” he added. “And then we fall behind and we come back again. And we make stupid mistakes like that. That should never happen. I don’t know what to say. It’s really unfortunate and ridiculous.”
Denmark manager Brian Riemer also gave Scotland a push despite seeing his team lose. “I take the responsibility 100 percent on my shoulders,” he said. “There’s nothing to argue about. We played a team that was worse than us today, so we have to beat them.”
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