Ally McCoist did not appear to be at all impressed with Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at one stage during the second-half of Denmark’s Euro 2024 opener with Slovenia on Sunday.
The Euro 2020 semi-finalists looked to be in with a good chance of securing the three points that would see them already put one foot in the knockout stages, with Christian Eriksen giving the Danes a lead during the first-half.
Unfortunately for Kasper Hjulmand’s men, they were unable to see out the game, with a deflected effort late on wrong-footing Kasper Schmeichel.
The goal came after what had been a fairly subdued start to the second-half. But there was one small incident after the interval when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did not cover himself in glory.
Ally McCoist not impressed by what Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did in Denmark draw
Petar Stojanovic miscontrolled the ball on the edge of Denmark’s final third, and that allowed the Spurs man to latch onto possession. Stojanovic planted his foot in an attempt to make amends for losing the ball, and that saw Hojbjerg go to ground and roll on the floor a few times, seemingly in some discomfort.
The Slovenian was booked for the challenge, but replays appeared to show that there was minimal contact at best.
Speaking on ITV (broadcast on 16/6; 18:11), Ally McCoist suggested that he had little time for Hojbjerg’s reaction to the challenge.
“Listen, it’s a free-kick. Of course, it’s a free-kick, catches his right foot a little bit. Not sure it was worth all the histrionics. In fact, I’ll tell you right now, it wasn’t deserving of it all,” he said.
Tottenham midfielder’s reaction unnecessary
It would be unfair to suggest that Hojbjerg did something that is not commonplace in the modern game; ultimately, players exaggerate contact all the time to make sure that they get the decisions go their way.
But the 28-year-old has, from the outside, often tried to portray himself as a leader, someone who will try and battle on no matter how many hits he takes. He is someone who has labelled himself ‘Viking’, so it definitely was not the best look when he made sure to roll over a couple of times as if he had taken a really sore one on the top of his foot.
Making sure he won the free-kick is one thing, but his subsequent reaction surely played a part in his opponent getting a very, very harsh yellow card.