‘Physically bullied’ but ‘tirelessly’ continued: United star sets unwanted record after Euros stalemate

Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen were both deployed from the offset for Denmark last night as they played out their final group-stage fixture against Serbia.

In line with the other snoozefests Group C has delivered, Tuesday evening’s showings rounded off one of the stalest crops of matches we’ve ever seen at a Euros tournament.

England topped the group with five points following their 0-0 draw with Slovenia, while the Danes claimed a second-placed finish, also overseeing a goalless draw in Munich.

Upon the full-time whistle at the Allianz, which likely woke up a number of dozing fans inside the stadium, Eriksen was named Player of the Match for the second time already, having done so in their tournament-opener back on June 16 after he scored his nation’s only goal of the game.

Hojlund, meanwhile, rounded off a seventh straight game without finding the back of the net. The Manchester United striker was in prolific form throughout Denmark’s qualification campaign, scoring seven times in the eight matches he played, yet now is unable to reignite such form when the team need it most.

He featured for 59 minutes before being withdrawn by Kasper Hjulmand, although you’d expect that he’ll retain his place in the starting 11 for the knockouts.

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A night to forget for Hojlund

The media in Denmark assessed Hojlund’s shift later in the night, with one outlet, BT, expressing their dismay at his treatment by the Serbians.

“You wanted to run onto the field and break in because it felt terrible to see how the Serbians treated Hojlund. It looked like schoolyard bullying, as Hojlund was physically bullied, but kudos to the Danish striker for tirelessly continuing,” they wrote. 

SportTV2 added: “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.”