Euro 2020: Belgium win Group B while Denmark win hearts
Group B’s Worst Moment
Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest. We couldn’t believe what we were watching, the situation involving Eriksen’s sudden collapse during Denmark’s opening game against Finland warranted several words, yet nothing came to the fore.
A numbness settled over the football fraternity, and prayers were offered from all corners of the world. Eriksen survived in the end, thankfully, due to the quick thinking of his teammates, referee Anthony Taylor, and the medical staff.
However, those fifteen minutes where the camera panned between his brave teammates, who had formed a wall to protect his dignity, shell-shocked fans, and his grieving partner were among the most difficult we’ve had to watch.
Surprise Factor
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Denmark – resilient in the wake of a catastrophe. It is a testament to the mental strength of everyone inside the Denmark camp that they managed to put in not one but two sensational performances after suffering from a huge calamity.
Denmark weren’t one of the teams expected to miss out on the knockout stage, especially with a squad as talented as theirs. However, no one knew what to expect from them after the opening day disaster.
Nevertheless, an impressive performance against Belgium followed, where the Danes – backed by the home crowd – pushed the world’s number one team to the limit. Days later, a stunning, emotional win over Russia secured their berth in the knockouts.
How bad was the fourth-placed team?
Russia finished fourth in the group, and while they weren’t as good as they were in 2018, they definitely weren’t as bad as some of the other basement sides of the tournament, such as Turkey.
Stanislav Cherchesov’s side did even manage to win a game and were in contention to qualify until Christensen slammed the ball home for one of the goals of the tournament.
However, while they beat minnows Finland, Russia were outclassed by both Belgium and Denmark – who recorded a three-goal margin in their respective wins.
Fans hoping for a repeat of the 2018 World Cup, where the home nation went deep into the knockouts, would surely have been left disappointed.