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Denmark Recover From Benzema Strike To Beat France In Nations League

Denmark's forward Andreas Cornelius celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Nations League - League A Group 1 first leg football match between France and Denmark at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on June 3, 2022. Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP — Denmark’s forward Andreas Cornelius celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Nations League – League A Group 1 first leg football match between France and Denmark at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on June 3, 2022. Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

Substitute Andreas Cornelius scored twice as Denmark recovered from conceding to a brilliant Karim Benzema goal to beat France 2-1 on Friday in the UEFA Nations League at the Stade de France, the first match at the venue since the chaos that marred last weekend’s Champions League final.

Benzema’s stunning strike put World Cup holders France in front six minutes after half-time, only for Trabzonspor striker Cornelius to turn in Denmark’s equaliser midway through the second half and then smash in an 88th-minute winner.

That meant it was a disappointing night for France who also saw both Kylian Mbappe and Raphael Varane come off with knocks.

There was a near-full house of 75,833 inside the Stade de France, including 1,400 Danish supporters, but the atmosphere outside the ground ahead of kick-off was calm.

That was in stark contrast to the scenes six days earlier, when serious organisational problems led to fans being unable to get into the stadium while many peaceful supporters were tear-gassed ahead of Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League final.

European football’s governing body UEFA on Friday issued an apology to those spectators for what it admitted was a “frightening and distressing” experience for those involved.

Because of the pandemic, Friday’s match was the first France national football team game at the stadium without crowd restrictions since November 2019.

Home supporters were hoping to see Les Bleus start with a victory as they defend the Nations League title they won last year by beating Spain in the final.

This was the first of four matches they will play this month in League A, Group 1 before their players can depart on holiday, and the game did not really come to life in the first half.

Mbappe, Varane come off

France, whose coach Didier Deschamps was absent following the death of his father, were then dealt a blow when Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe pulled up with an apparent knee knock just before the interval.

He did not reappear after the break, with Christopher Nkunku taking his place, and the RB Leipzig forward played a part in the opening goal in the 51st minute.

Benzema, on the same ground where he won the Champions League with Real Madrid last weekend, collected the ball on the right, played a one-two with Nkunku and left the Danish defence for dead before slotting in on the occasion of his 95th cap.

The home side then saw Manchester United centre-back Varane also hobble off, with William Saliba replacing him, and Denmark capitalised as they turned the match on its head.

Cornelius had not long been on the field when he appeared completely unmarked in the area to apply a first-time finish to Pierre-Emile Hojberg’s floated assist.

Hugo Lloris kept out Andreas Skov Olsen’s rasping drive shortly after, before N’Golo Kante crashed an effort off the woodwork at the other end.

Eriksen then squandered a great chance to put the away side in front in the 86th minute as Lloris denied his former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate from point-blank range.

However, the Danes did win it moments later as Cornelius beat the offside trap before running through and holding off Saliba to somehow fire past Lloris from a tight angle.

The result is a warning for France, who will be in the same group as Denmark at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The sides will be in Nations League action again on Monday with France away to Croatia and Denmark in Austria.

Denmark Expels 15 Russian Diplomats Accused Of Spying

Denmark said Tuesday it is expelling 15 Russian “intelligence officers” registered as diplomats in the country following similar moves by a number of EU countries, including Germany and France.

The Russian citizens concerned will have 14 days to leave the country, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We have established that the 15 expelled intelligence officers have conducted spying on Danish soil,” Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told reporters after a meeting in parliament.

Denmark wished to send a “clear signal” that spying in the Nordic country was “unacceptable,” he said.

Russia’s ambassador to Denmark was informed of the decision early Tuesday, where the government also expressed a “strong condemnation of Russia’s brutality against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha”.

“Deliberate attacks against civilians are a war crime,” it said.

At the same time, Copenhagen insisted on maintaining diplomatic relations with Moscow.

“Denmark does not wish to break diplomatic relations to Moscow. The Russian ambassador and the rest of the embassy in Copenhagen are therefore not included in the expulsion,” Kofod said.

Horrific images of corpses lying in the streets in the town of Bucha north-west of Kyiv, some with their hands bound behind them, following the Russian withdrawal have drawn international condemnation of Russia, and the EU is considering additional sanctions.

Moscow has denied responsibility, suggesting the images are fake or that the deaths occurred after Russian forces pulled out of the area.

But newly released satellite photographs taken by Maxar Technologies in mid-March, before the Russian withdrawal, showed what appeared to be bodies in some of the same places they were later found by Ukrainian troops and seen by journalists.

On Monday, France expelled 35 Russian diplomats, and Germany announced it had expelled a “significant number” of Russian envoys.

Eriksen Scores On Denmark Return After Cardiac Arrest

Denmark's Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring a goal during the friendly football match between the Netherlands and Denmark at the Johan-Cruijff ArenA on March 26, 2022 in Amsterdam. MAURICE VAN STEEN / ANP / AFP — Denmark’s Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring a goal during the friendly football match between the Netherlands and Denmark at the Johan-Cruijff ArenA on March 26, 2022 in Amsterdam. MAURICE VAN STEEN / ANP / AFP

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen scored on his return to international football after suffering a cardiac arrest last year in a 4-2 friendly defeat against the Netherlands on Saturday.

A little more than nine months – 287 days – after his collapse at Euro 2020, Eriksen pulled off a remarkable comeback at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

To the resounding applause of the Dutch public and manager Louis van Gaal in particular when he came off the bench, Eriksen raised his hands to the sky in thanks.

Two minutes after coming on at half-time, the Brentford midfielder then scored a superb goal with a powerful strike into the top corner, his 37th goal in 110 appearances.

Eriksen was clearly delighted with his strike which cut the Dutch lead to 3-2.

He was congratulated by his team-mates, many of whom were there when he suffered his cardiac arrest.

The 30-year-old collapsed in Denmark’s opening game of the European Championships against Finland in Copenhagen last June.

He had to be resuscitated on the pitch, lying unconscious for several minutes as the stunned crowd and millions of television viewers around the world watched on in horror.

Eriksen spent several days in hospital and had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat.

He terminated his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent in December as Italian league rules bar players with pacemakers.

He was signed by Premier League outfit Brentford in January, making three appearances to date.

It was also fitting he scored in the Amsterdam Arena, the home of Ajax.

Eriksen came through the ranks at the Dutch side, making 162 appearances for the club and winning five trophies, including three consecutive league titles between 2011 and 2013.

AFP

Eriksen ‘Very Happy’ To Be Back With Denmark Team

In this file photo, Denmark’s midfielder Christian Eriksen runs during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel / various sources / AFP)

Christian Eriksen said Thursday he was “very pleased” to join up with the Denmark team, just nine months after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Eriksen has linked up once again with the national side ahead of friendlies against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Saturday and Serbia in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

“I’m very happy and pleased to be able to be back with national team again. It’s been a while, so I am very happy to be back,” the midfielder said in Marbella, where the Denmark squad are training.

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark’s opening game of the European Championships against Finland in Copenhagen last June.

He had to be resuscitated on the pitch, lying unconscious for several minutes as the stunned crowd and millions of television viewers around the world watched on in horror.

Eriksen spent several days in hospital and had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat.

In this file photo, Denmark’s players gather as paramedics attend to midfielder Christian Eriksen (not seen) during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. (Photo by WOLFGANG RATTAY / various sources / AFP)

Eriksen, scorer of 36 goals in 109 appearances for Denmark, terminated his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent in December as Italian league rules bar players with pacemakers.

He made his club comeback on February 26 for English Premier League side Brentford.

Eriksen said he had been “lucky with the doctors and I’ve been lucky with the diagnosis”.

“Everything is okay to go back to play again and that of course gave me the push to get me back to the life I had before.”

The cardiac arrest, Eriksen added, was “difficult for everyone…. we had a lot of conversations, of course, to walk and talk through everything that’s happened”.

“But since then time has really tried to heal everything and it’s been going well. So obviously when it’s going well and the time comes with it, then it’s a very good mix and that helps definitely.”

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said having Eriksen back was “a good feeling, of course, we are happy to have him here”.

“It was a nice moment yesterday when he entered to the group, and so it’s great to have him back.”

Denmark have qualified for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. After Eriksen’s cardiac arrest Denmark reached the Euro semi-finals where they lost to England.

AFP

Denmark Proposes Cigarette Sale Ban To People Born After 2010

A file photo used to illustrate this story.

Denmark unveiled plans on Tuesday to ensure that future generations are tobacco-free, and is considering banning the sale of cigarettes and other nicotine products to anyone born after 2010.

“Our hope is that all people born in 2010 and later will never start smoking or using nicotine-based products”, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told reporters.

“If necessary, we are ready to ban the sale (of these products) to this generation by progressively raising the age limit,” he said.

Currently, Danes must be 18 years old to buy cigarettes or e-cigarettes.

According to the health ministry, around 31 percent of 15-to-29-year-olds smoke.

Smoking is the main cause of cancer in the Nordic country of 5.8 million people and is responsible for 13,600 deaths per year.

A poll commissioned by the Danish Cancer Society showed that 64 percent of people surveyed were in favour of the Danish government’s plan, and 67 percent among those aged 18-34.

New Zealand in December announced a pioneering plan to ban the sale of tobacco by progressively raising the age limit as of 2027.

In Denmark, the Social Democratic government said it also plans to address youths’ alcohol consumption.

It will raise the legal age for purchases of drinks containing less than 16.5 percent alcohol from 16 to 18.

AFP

Mali Repeats Demand For Denmark To Withdraw Its Forces

The Malian flag is hoisted during the handover ceremony of the Barkhane military base from the French to the Malian army in Timbuktu, on December 14, 2021. FLORENT VERGNES / AFP

Mali’s military government on Wednesday repeated a demand that Danish special forces withdraw from the Sahel state, noting recent “inappropriate” comments made by Denmark’s foreign minister.

The junta, which came to power in a coup in August 2020, had first asked Denmark to withdraw its troops on Monday, following a deployment it said had been undertaken without consent.

A contingent of around 90 Danish soldiers arrived in Mali to join European special forces supporting the country’s anti-jihadist operations earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told reporters that Danish forces were in Mali “on a clear basis” and that his government was seeking to clarify the issue.

“There is currently a difficult diplomatic discussion with the transitional government,” he added.

“They have suspended democracy, and we want to see it return as soon as possible”.

Mali’s junta stated on Wednesday evening that it had read Kofod’s “inappropriate” comments with “surprise and consternation”.

Denmark notified Mali on June 29 that it was sending troops to join the so-called Takuba force of elite soldiers, according to the statement.

But the northern European country received a response in November informing it that the request was “under examination”.

“The government of Mali invites, with insistence, the Danish party to immediately withdraw its forces from Malian territory,” the statement said, repeating its demand from earlier this week.

Denmark has previously sent troops to participate in military interventions in Mali, some with the UN’s MINUSMA peacekeeping force and others with the French-led Operation Barkhane.

The new contingent is joining Task Force Takuba — a 900-troop French-led unit launched in March 2020.

Other contributors are the Netherlands, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy and Hungary.

Mali has been struggling to quell a brutal jihadist conflict that first emerged in 2012, before spreading to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Denmark Plans To Lift COVID-19 Restrictions On February 1

People sit at the terrasse of the Huks Fluks restaurant after it reopened at Graabroedre Square in Copenhagen on May 18, 2020. Restaurants, cafes and several other places opened with restrictions such as rules concerning opening hours and social distance. Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP — File Photo: People sit at the terrasse of the Huks Fluks restaurant after it reopened at Graabroedre Square in Copenhagen on May 18, 2020. Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP

The Danish government plans to lift its Covid restrictions on February 1, despite registering a record number of infections but with vaccine rates high, the health ministry said Wednesday.

“I would like… Covid-19 to no longer be categorised as a disease dangerous to society as of February 1”, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke wrote in a letter to lawmakers, proposing the de facto lifting of all domestic restrictions, such as mask-wearing and early closings for bars and restaurants.

The country of 5.8 million people registered 46,000 new cases on Tuesday, “but our current assessment is that the epidemic will soon peak”, Heunicke wrote on Twitter.

“We have good control over hospitalisation rates, thanks to a combination of 3.5 million Danes revaccinated and the less severe nature of Omicron.”

More than 60 percent of Danes have received a third dose, one month ahead of the health authorities’ schedule.

In addition, while the number of people hospitalised with a Covid infection continues to rise and has now exceeded 900, the Danish Health Authority said that 35 percent of those were actually in hospital for another diagnosis.

‘Bitter’ Defeat Ends Denmark’s Dream After Emotional Euro 2020 Ride

A Danish football fan sits at Kildeparken in Aalborg after Denmark was defeated by 2-1 in the UEFA Euro 2020 semi-final football match between England and Denmark on late July 7, 2021. (Photo by Henning Bagger / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT

Denmark’s run to the Euro 2020 semi-finals was even more of a fairytale for the nation of five million people after their near-tragic start to the tournament.

On the opening weekend of the Euro, Christian Eriksen, his country’s star player for the best part of a decade, collapsed on the field against Finland after suffering a cardiac arrest.

As his teammates formed a protective circle around the Inter Milan midfielder to shield him from the cameras, captain Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel consoled his sobbing partner on the side of the pitch.

Thanks to the rapid medical response, Eriksen was resuscitated after one defibrillation and able to leave hospital less just six days later.

Three-and-a-half weeks on from the incident, Denmark were still in contention to repeat their shock success at Euro 92, which they won having initially failed to qualify thanks to Yugoslavia’s expulsion.

In the end, lightning did not strike twice. England, roared on by a 65,000 crowd at Wembley, booked their place in the final of a European Championship for the first time with a controversial 2-1 win after extra time.

The winning goal came about after a dubious penalty was awarded for Joakim Maehle’s challenge on Raheem Sterling.

Denmark’s players react to their defeat in the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final football match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium in London on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths / POOL / AFP)

Schmeichel — a hero on and off the field for Denmark — saved Harry Kane’s spot-kick, but the England captain swept home the rebound to spark jubilant scenes of celebration.

“One thing is to lose a game, but losing this way is a disappointment because these guys have fought a lot,” said Danish coach Kasper Hjulmand. “It’s a bitter way to leave a tournament.”

– Physical and mental toll –
In time, Denmark will reflect on a emotional rollercoaster with nothing but pride for a squad who played plenty of slick football to go with their determination, courage and fight.

Russia and Wales were swept aside in four-goal thrashings before seeing off the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.

But that 9,000 kilometre (5,592 mile) round-trip to Azerbaijan and the physical and mental toll of the past month finally caught up with Hjulmand’s men.

After Mikkel Damsgaard’s stunning free-kick put them 1-0 up at Wembley, Kjaer’s own goal left them struggled to resist wave upon wave of English attack.

“I can’t describe with words how much I admire the technical staff behind these players. They have been through so much. Two of them saved the life of one of our best players,” said Hjulmand, reflecting on his side’s journey.

“We have been fighting like crazy, we played good football and I am grateful for the entire nation. We needed the support, the empathy, after what happened with Christian.

Denmark’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel reacts at the end of the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final football match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium in London on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Andy Rain / POOL / AFP)

“We’ve been receiving a lot of love and support, it was amazing to feel. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the final but our future is full of hope and belief. These guys are outstanding and a whole nation can be proud.”

Amid complaints about the controversial penalty call from Dutch referee Danny Makkelie and a format that has seen England benefit from home advantage for six of their seven games, there was immense pride in Denmark on Thursday.

“The national team lost the match but won the whole kingdom,” said the Politiken newspaper.

Denmark’s talented generation will fancy their chances of another long run with the World Cup in Qatar just 16 months away.

But after seeing pre-tournament favourites France as well as Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands bow out, their chance to emulate the heroes of Euro 92 may have gone.

“It’s been emotional for the entire team,” said Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite. “It’s amazing to be Danish and be part of this. We wanted to be in that final so this is a great disappointment.”

Denmark Outclass Wales To Reach Euro 2020 Quarter-Finals

Denmark's forward Martin Braithwaite (C) shoots and scores his team's fourth goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Wales and Denmark at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on June 26, 2021. Koen van Weel / POOL / AFP — Denmark’s forward Martin Braithwaite (C) shoots and scores his team’s fourth goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Wales and Denmark at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on June 26, 2021. Koen van Weel / POOL / AFP

Denmark marked the 29th anniversary of their greatest triumph by marching on to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 on Saturday as Kasper Dolberg scored twice in an emphatic 4-0 win over Wales before an exultant travelling support in Amsterdam.

In the city where Christian Eriksen made his name, it was Dolberg –- another former Ajax player –- who opened the scoring with a fizzing strike in the 27th minute.

That came after Wales had started so well but Denmark never looked back and Dolberg struck again just after the restart before Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite added more goals late on.

Carried by a wave of emotion, Danish dreams are still intact in a tournament that began in such traumatic circumstances for them with Eriksen’s collapse in their opening match against Finland in Copenhagen.

They now go on to a last-eight tie in Baku against the Netherlands or the Czech Republic.

Eriksen, still recovering at home after his cardiac arrest, was present in everyone’s minds at the home of Ajax, and that combined with a vast Danish support inside the one-third full Johan Cruyff Arena made this occasion really like a home game for them.

European champions against all odds when they beat Germany in the final on this day in 1992, Denmark finally have their first win in the knockout phase of a Euro since then and it would be a truly extraordinary story if they could repeat the feat this time.

Nobody in Denmark will want to get ahead of themselves but Wales — who finished with 10 men after Harry Wilson’s late red card — could certainly have no complaints about the outcome and there will be no repeat of their run to the semi-finals at Euro 2016.

Wales up against it

They needed a moment of magic from captain Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey which never came, but in truth they were up against it from the outset.

Aside from the universal goodwill towards Denmark following Eriksen’s collapse, a ban on travellers from the United Kingdom entering the Netherlands meant there were very few Welsh supporters inside the stadium.

Danes, in contrast, descended in their droves on Amsterdam, creating an atmosphere not far off that seen at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen when they beat Russia to qualify for the last 16 — even the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, was in attendance.

To their credit Wales started well, with the probing Bale leading by example in the early stages.

He crashed a shot just wide in the 10th minute, but then Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen –- Denmark’s third centre-back –- stepped up into midfield and they took control.

Denmark's players celebrate after winning the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Wales and Denmark at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on June 26, 2021. Piroschka van de Wouw / POOL / AFP — Denmark’s players celebrate after winning the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 football match between Wales and Denmark at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on June 26, 2021. Piroschka van de Wouw / POOL / AFP

They were rewarded when Dolberg, now of Nice in France and selected ahead of Yussuf Poulsen in attack, collected the ball just outside the area and unleased a superb strike into the far corner of the net.

For Wales, the signs that it was not to be their night kept coming, as right-back Connor Roberts suffered a groin injury and had to come off.

Then giant striker Kieffer Moore was booked for a foul on Danish captain Simon Kjaer, meaning a suspension for the next round if Wales made it through.

Robert Page’s side would not make it through as they fell further behind three minutes into the second half.

Neco Williams, the Liverpool full-back who had replaced Roberts, tried to clear a Braithwaite cross but only succeeded in playing the ball straight to Dolberg who seized the chance to make it 2-0.

Bale and his teammates felt there had been a foul on Moore at the start of the move but the German referee waved away the complaints and the only surprise was that it took until the dying minutes for more goals to come.

Mathias Jensen picked out the unmarked Maehle to score the third in the 88th minute, before Wilson saw red for a foul on Maehle and Braithwaite made it 4-0, a goal given after a lengthy VAR review.

AFP

Eriksen Reassures As Denmark Try To Move On With Euro 2020

Denmark’s midfielder Christian Eriksen runs during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel / various sources / AFP)

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen on Tuesday published a photo of his tired but smiling face from his hospital bed after his collapse during his country’s opening Euro 2020 game, as UEFA defended the decision to resume the match.

In a scene that shocked the sporting world and beyond, the 29-year-old Inter Milan midfielder suddenly collapsed on the field in the 43rd minute of Denmark’s Group B game on Saturday against Finland in Copenhagen.

“I’m fine — under the circumstances, I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel okay,” he wrote in a post to Instagram accompanying a photo of him smiling and giving a thumbs-up while lying in bed.

“Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world. It means a lot to me and my family,” he wrote in the post, which has been liked more than 3.5 million times.

“Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches. Play for all of Denmark.”

Medical personnel administered CPR as he lay motionless on the field for about 15 minutes before being carried off the pitch and rushed to hospital.

He was later confirmed to have suffered cardiac arrest.

– Irreplaceable –

On Sunday, team doctor Morten Boesen said he had “no explanation” for the event.

The Danish Football Union (DBU) has been tight-lipped about the midfielder’s condition, reporting that he is “stable” but declining to answer questions about his prospects of returning to the field.

“He has to undergo different examinations, and as long as we don’t have the conclusions from that we cannot comment,” DBU spokesman Jakob Hoyer told a news conference.

The team’s coach, Kasper Hjulmand, said Tuesday Eriksen had watched the last 10 minutes of Denmark-Finland from hospital and was in daily contact with the team, giving them some reassurance ahead of their upcoming clash with Belgium — ranked number one in the world by FIFA.

“We can focus more and more on football and prepare for the game,” Hjulmand told a press conference, but admitted that some players might still be rattled by the game on Thursday.

“We will prepare ourselves as well as possible, but it will be emotional for sure. But we should use these emotions for the match, and get ready to fight,” Hjulmand said.

Hjulmand also didn’t want to go into details about who would replace Eriksen in the line-up.

“No one can replace Christian. No one. It’s not possible… He is the heart of the team ,” the coach said.

“We will do something else, we’ll do something different but we will definitely have a strong team on the pitch.”

– ‘With utmost respect’ –

While insisting the squad was made up of “real warriors”, the coach also lamented what he described as the pressure from UEFA to decide on a resumption of the match.

“I feel the players were put under pressure… and faced with a dilemma” about whether to resume the match on Saturday or Sunday lunchtime, Hjulmand said.

On Monday, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel regretted being put in a position that he personally felt the team “shouldn’t have been put in”.

UEFA defended itself on Tuesday, saying in a statement to AFP “it treated the matter with utmost respect for the sensitive situation and for the players”

“It was decided to restart the match only after the two teams requested to finish the game on the same evening,” the football body said.

UEFA also pointed out that its statutes require players to rest for 48 hours between matches and categorically denied “that either team was threatened with a forfeit”.

AFP

Denmark’s Eriksen ‘Awake’ In Hospital After Collapse In Euro 2020 Game

Denmark's players gather as paramedics attend to midfielder Christian Eriksen (not seen) during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. WOLFGANG RATTAY / AFP / POOL — Denmark’s players gather as paramedics attend to midfielder Christian Eriksen (not seen) during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. WOLFGANG RATTAY / AFP / POOL

Denmark’s star player Christian Eriksen collapsed and had to be revived on the field by medics during the Euro 2020 match with Finland on Saturday.

The opening match of Group B was paused amid emotional scenes after Eriksen fell to the turf at the end of the first half.

Danish players immediately gestured to the medical staff to attend to Eriksen and his teammates were in tears as the 29-year-old was given CPR.

Eriksen was eventually carried off the field at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen after having lengthy treatment and a photo showed him apparently holding his head as he laid on the stretcher.

The Danish Football Union (DBU) said the Inter Milan player was awake and had been able to speak to teammates.

DBU director Peter Moeller told Danmarks Radio (DR): “We’ve been in contact with him, and the players have spoken to Christian. That’s the great news. He’s doing fine, and they are playing the game for him,”

After Eriksen was carried off, a crisis meeting was held with both teams and match officials over whether to restart the game and the players resumed the game at 8:30 pm, finishing the final minutes of the first half.

The match was poised at 0-0 at half-time.

Distraught players and supporters

The previously raucous crowd at the Parken Stadium in the Danish capital fell silent in gut-wrenching scenes as the other Danish players, mainly clearly distraught, formed a circle of red shirts around him to stop anyone from seeing the on-pitch treatment.

Many suppporters were also in tears.

“I don’t know how i feel. He’s such a national treasure. He’s like your best friend,” Denmark fan Rasmus Ottosen, 34, told AFP.

“I could look down and see him get the treatment. Everyone was like, ‘I can’t look at this.'”

Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and captain Simon Kjaer had to comfort Eriksen’s stricken partner Sabrina Kvist Jensen by the side of the pitch.

After around 15 minutes Eriksen was stretchered off the field followed by the rest of the Denmark team, while Finland’s players also walked off.

The fans in the stadium, who were celebrating the chance to see their national team again live at the stadium, sat silently in their seats waiting for news of Eriksen’s condition.

However soon after stadium-wide chants of “Christian” and “Eriksen” from both sets of supporters began to ring out as news of his status began to filter through to supporters.

They were brought to their feet when stadium announcers said that Eriksen was “stable”, and the ground rose as one when to was announced that the teams would come out to finish the match.

A huddle among Finland’s players were loudly applauded by all four sides of the stadium before both teams began their warm ups before rstarting the match.

However some fans did not agree with the decision to play.

Gustav Schoendorff, 19, saying “It’s so bad. It’s ethically wrong they should start tomorrow instead”.

AFP

Euro 2020 Match Suspended As Denmark’s Christian Eriksen Collapses On Pitch

Denmark star Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch in Saturday’s Euro 2020 game against Finland in Copenhagen, causing the suspension of the match in the first half.

Danish players were in tears as medical staff tried to revive the Inter Milan player, who suddenly collapsed near the touchline.

“The UEFA EURO 2020 match in Copenhagen has been suspended due to a medical emergency,” UEFA said in a short statement.

The previously raucous crowd at the Parken Stadium in the Danish capital fell silent after the 29-year-old fell to the ground near the end of the opening period, with his teammates gathering around him.

After around 15 minutes Eriksen was stretchered off the field followed by the rest of the Denmark team, while Finland’s players also left the pitch.

The fans in the stadium, who were celebrating the chance to see their national team again live at the stadium, sat silently in their seats waiting for news of Eriksen’s condition to filter through.

AFP

Tag: Denmark