Some draw strength from excluding others, but that is wrong, and we have seen fine examples of togetherness at the EurosA European Championship always reflects the way we in Europe shape our lives together. Four things in particular have stood out to me so far in this tournament. On 12 June the continent felt close to a Danish football player. Christian Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the pitch. His teammates, who immediately formed a circle around him, intuitively knew how to stand by him in this stressful situation. It was palpable how much his privacy was worth to them and they protected his dignity in a difficult hour. It was an enormously moving event. Related: Rainbow stadiums: German football...
A Denmark fan recounts how it all unfolded – and what a country united in support of its team thinks of UefaA week ago Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during the Euro 2020 game against Finland, having suffered a cardiac arrest. His heart had stopped beating and, according to the Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen, he “was gone”. This is the story about the heroes of Copenhagen and how Eriksen’s life was saved – and what it meant for the nation.5pm GMT, Saturday 12 June – the excitement After a year’s delay because of Covid-19, 13,790 extremely excited Denmark and Finland supporters are in the national team’s stadium, Parken. I am not one of the lucky ones so...
On an emotional day Kevin de Bruyne’s introduction helped turn the tide but the Belgian defence never looked comfortablePerhaps this wasn’t the game for making proper judgments. Belgium were in the desperately awkward position of being the other team in the face of a great outpouring of Danish emotion, and for half the game they struggled in that role. But the introduction of Kevin De Bruyne, back after surgery on the facial injury he sustained in the Champions League final, changed everything.But beyond talk of the difficult emotion of the occasion or of De Bruyne’s brilliance, there are other issues for Belgium. Going forward after half-time, they looked like the side that had scored 40 goals in qualifying. Romelu Lukaku,...
France are favourites, but I like the look of Portugal. And the question for England is can they handle the pressure?In an ideal world you would start a tournament perfectly and go through it winning everything. That’s what every team at the Euros wants to do. It is the pressure and expectation around that desire for perfection that derails so many teams and campaigns, because a loss early on becomes a big deal. But you can lose and progress. I was part of the Denmark team that showed that at the Euros in 2017: we lost to the Netherlands (who finished as champions) in our group but still got out of the group and reached the final.How you cope with...
Mason Mount’s work without the ball and technical ability have justified his England place all while suffering unfair scornTwo steps forward, one step back. In a way, this has been the story of Gareth Southgate’s England in microcosm. Stirring progress followed by chastening tournament defeat; goodwill earned and then squandered; the heartening emergence of Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings tempered by the sharp decline of Harry Maguire. And here again a broadly encouraging international week curdled at its climax, defeat to Denmark an unhappy epilogue after the wins over Wales and Belgium. Related: Denmark and Eriksen make England pay for Maguire's reckless lunges Related: Nations League roundup: Williams axis strikes late again as Wales top group Related: Scotland march on...