Hojlund, a lifelong fan of Ronaldo, had already sparked controversy during the match by performing Ronaldo's iconic "Siuuu" celebration after scoring Denmark's second goal to restore parity at 2-2. This added to the tension surrounding Jesus' decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting lineup and Ronaldo's sudden departure from the Portuguese national team camp just a day prior.
After the end of the match, Jorge Jesus walked onto the pitch to greet the players. After he had shaken hands and patted Hojlund in the chest, the Danish striker gave the manager a light, visible shove back before walking away seemingly very unhappy with Jesus.
Jorge Jesus seemed to try to defuse the situation immediately by smiling as Hojlund pushed past him. In later comments, Jesus noted he was unsure why the forward reacted that way but laughed it off.
After Denmark's 1-0 win againt Wales in Cardiff, Hojlund was asked about the incident by broadcaster TV2 and said that it wasn't related to Jorge Jesus' decision of leaving Hojlund's idol Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game.
"The shove didn't really have anything to do with Jorge Jesus's coaching decision. It was because he couldn't be bothered to look me in the eye. I think it's poor sportsmanship."
"It’s perfectly fine to give a proper handshake after a football match. I got a very cold shove to the chest, and he just looked right past me. So that’s why I just pointed it out: "Hey, are we being serious here?"
Portugal won the match 4-2 to preserve their perfect record in the Nations League campaign.