The Paris Saint-Germain attacker insists he was
trying to encourage his Sweden teammates after he was pictured clapping
following the Portugal star's third goal.
Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic has insisted that he did not applaud Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo after the latter completed his hat trick in Tuesday's World Cup qualification win.
The
Paris Saint-Germain striker was seen clapping his hands after Ronaldo
scored his third goal of the game to effectively end Sweden's World Cup
ambitions, but Ibrahimovic has stressed that he was simply attempting to
rouse his teammates rather than show the Madrid man his appreciation.
"Was I applauding Ronaldo? No, I was just trying to encourage my teammates," Ibrahimovic told
La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I clapped my hands to cheer them up and motivate them for the last few minutes.
"We
had already gone down before. It is important not to give up until the
final whistle because the unexpected can always happen."
The PSG
striker did confess his admiration for the 28-year-old's prowess on the
counterattack but insisted his own side's defensive lapses made life
easy for the Madrid man.
"He's obviously a great player, but we
allowed him way too much space. Nobody's as good as he is on the
counterattack. This game once more showed his biggest qualities," added
Ibrahimovic. "Is he the best player in the world? I can only say that he
scored one goal more than I did."
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