Leverkusen boss stunned by Grimaldo's free-kicks
Kasper Hjulmand paid tribute to "world-class" Bayer Leverkusen defender Alex Grimaldo after he again demonstrated his free-kick exploits against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League.
The Bundesliga side twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with the reigning Danish Superliga champion at Parken.
Grimaldo grabbed the first equaliser in the 82nd minute when he fired a superb 25-yard free-kick into Dominik Kotarski's top-left corner.
The full-back has now scored the outright most direct free-kick goals by a Spanish player in UEFA Champions League history, moving ahead of his former boss Xabi Alonso, who scored three.
It was also Grimaldo's third in two games, after he scored two during Leverkusen's 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga last weekend.
"It's just world-class. Absolutely crazy," Hjulmand said during his post-match press conference.
"He was frustrated when he missed the first one [a free-kick during the first half]. He just sees the goal. His free-kick ability is unbelievable. Pure, sheer world-class."
Hjulmand's second game in charge of Leverkusen – and first in the UEFA Champions League – came on familiar territory for the former Denmark boss.
He was pleased with the character his new side showed.
"At the end of the day, I think we should be satisfied with the point and move on," he added.
"We are still learning what we can do with this group of new players. It's a new team. Today, we showed some character again.
"Being behind twice here in Parken is difficult, so we take the point and move on. We have a lot of work to do."
