Both Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were in action for Denmark on Tuesday, here’s how the Manchester United pair fared.
In the final group stage fixture for Denmark, it was a 0-0 draw which saw the Danes progress to the knockout stage in second place behind England.
The group was there to be won, with the Three Lions also drawing 0-0, so Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund will be kicking themselves considering they now have to face Germany.
It was a struggle for the Manchester United pair and the reaction to their displays from Danish media tell that full story.
How Danish media has reacted to Rasmus Hojlund’s performance
With both of Erik ten Hag’s Danes starting for their country, he wouldn’t have been impressed with either if he happened to be watching ahead of a return to Carrington in the coming weeks.
For Hojlund particularly it was a tough night as the Serbian defence absolutely battered him and he failed to score for a seventh straight game for his country.
Speaking of a tussle, Danish outlet BT wrote: “You wanted to run onto the field and break in because it felt terrible to see how the Serbians treated Højlund. It looked like schoolyard bullying, as Højlund was physically bullied, but kudos to the Danish striker for tirelessly continuing.”
Sport TV2 rated Hojlund just a 3/10 and wrote: “Denmark’s once dangerous striker is out of step. Yes, he runs and he fights, but neither in his case is enough for a good character. I would like him to run more in-depth. Replaced after an hour. So Kasper Hjulmand must have seen the same thing as the rest of us.”
Hojlund was rated even worse by Tips Bladet with a match rating of just 1/5: “Quite simply not good enough by Rasmus Højlund.”
Bold rated Hojlund as a 3/10 and reviewed him by writing: “After a short hour, however, Kasper Hjulmand had seen enough. It wasn’t from the Manchester United man that the goal would come.”
However in an opinion piece also on Bold, one journalist had some support for Hojlund: “I do not think in any way that Denmark’s playing problems are due to the 21-year-old striker from Manchester United.
“I believe, on the contrary, that the solution to Denmark’s problems may lie in finding a way to play Højlund better. It was difficult in the first 45 minutes against Serbia, who were packed and low, but the short road to Danish success lies in developing the striker’s qualities better.”
Danish media on Christian Eriksen
For Eriksen, Tuesday saw him earn his 133 cap which is a new Denmark record. While it didn’t end like he’d have wanted, Eriksen still impressed the media in Denmark.
This is evident as DR gave him a 7/12 and added: “He neither scored nor assisted, but there were a couple of brilliant passes from the Danish 10, who is generally playing a good final round.”
BT added: “A couple of nice forward passes and a good finish were highlights in a good record match for Eriksen, where the absolutely decisive actions, however, were left to wait.”
Eriksen was also rated by Sport TV2: “That Eriksen was voted player of the match by UEFA said a lot about the low level. For Denmark’s new international record holder, he delivered a match of fluctuating quality without many sharp passes.”
Finally, Bold handed Eriksen a 5/10 and wrote: “Christian Eriksen surpassed Simon Kjær’s record for the most Danish international matches, but it was not the creator’s best match. He breathed life into the supporters with a sharp shot from distance after 20 minutes. On the other hand, he was completely beside himself when he had to hit the set pieces, which he is usually so sure of.”
