Danes Despondent Following Lisbon Thriller: ‘Missed Opportunities in Copenhagen Still Haunt Us’

Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Nissen Kristensen, and Rasmus Hojlund expressed their deep disappointment during an interview with TV2 Sport, reflecting on a harsh evening for Denmark as the team was eliminated from the Nations League, suffering a 5-2 defeat in the quarter-final second leg in Lisbon.

Rasmus Hojlund:

“Firstly, we’re really sorry. I think we have to hold ourselves accountable; I don’t want to say I’m ‘satisfied’ as we set high expectations for this squad, but I can say I’m proud of how we played. We were just four and a half minutes away from reaching the Final 4, and that’s something you really feel. I can’t deny that I’m feeling a bit down and disheartened at this moment.”

Christian Eriksen:

“I believe we can hold our heads high. We’ve shown that we can compete against Portugal, who are undeniably a formidable team. It’s an exciting period for us, and while it’s disappointing that we won’t be partaking in the Final 4, collectively we have every reason to be proud.”

Rasmus Nissen Kristensen:

“I’m exhausted, but that’s irrelevant now. It’s incredibly frustrating that we couldn’t see it through to the end. It’s absurd how we squandered the opportunity for such an extraordinary result after getting so close, so I’m genuinely disappointed. We performed well back in Parken, needing a larger victory, and that’s what eventually cost us.”

“It has been quite a rollercoaster. We set ourselves up nicely for progression, and it was a massive setback when they equalised in the dying moments. It’s frustrating that we conceded the goal at 3-2, as we were in good control at that point.”