Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United, both Danes, were in action on Sunday night when Denmark defeated Finland 1-0 in Euro 2024 qualification due to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s late goal.
When Hojlund was inserted at the beginning of the second half in Helsinki, MU No. 14 was still active for the entire 90 minutes.
After 19 minutes of play at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Eriksen’s rasping free-kick was expertly saved by Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
The Red and Whites enjoyed plenty of possession of the ball throughout the match, but they were forced to be patient. Kasper Hjulmand was operating out of his typically inventive number ten position for his team.
The first goal for Denmark didn’t come until the 86th minute when Wolfsburg’s Joakim Maehle set up Spurs midfielder Hojbjerg to slam home a low shot from the edge of the penalty box, setting off frantic scenes on the opposing bench.
U.S.’s summer acquisition Hojlund performed admirably in his 45-minute cameo and stretched Finland’s defense the entire time, earning his eighth cap for his nation and leading his team to victory in Group H.
Following up on Thursday’s 4-0 victory over San Marino, this result allows Denmark to overtake Finland at the top of the table and make it two victories out of two in the international competition in September.
Another Red was in action earlier in the day when Jonny Evans, a defender, led his nation as captain in Astana, Kazakhstan, where Northern Ireland lost 1-0.
Evans played the full 90 minutes, much like Eriksen, and Maksim Samorodov’s goal in the first half was the game-winning goal.
The Green and White Army lost 4-2 to Slovenia on Thursday, dropping them to fifth place in Group H after six games.
Now that the trio is scheduled to return to Carrington later this week, attention will soon turn to United’s upcoming Premier League matchup against Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday.
