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Euro 2020 Rewind: Eriksen collapse overshadows Saturday’s action, and more

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The first day of the Euro 2020 brought a rout, and the second brought a scary moment that overshadowed everything else.

Euro 2020 is officially under way, but the biggest talking point after the first two days of games is the terrifying collapse Denmark attacker Christian Eriksen suffered at the end of the first half of Saturday’s game vs. Finland.

That match as well as the others were ultimately played from start to finish, and the action saw Finland pull off a historic surprise while Belgium and Italy each won by lopsided margins. Wales and Switzerland, meanwhile, played to a hard-fought draw.

Here is a look back at the opening matches of Euro 2020:

DENMARK 0,  FINLAND 1

(Joel Pohjanpalo 59′)

Finland and Denmark were scoreless late in the first half of their Group B opener on Saturday when veteran attacker Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field. Responders performed CPR on Eriksen shortly thereafter and he was stretchered off the field before being taking to a nearby hospital, where he was reportedly deemed safe from danger hours later.

Joel Pohjanpalo scored the winner for Finland in the 59th minute of the team’s first game at a major tournament. Finland’s historic surprise victory was understandably muted by the concern for Eriksen’s health. UEFA stated after the match that both teams had agreed to restart the match at an agreed upon time.

Finland goalkeeper Luka Hradecky saved a 74th-minute penalty kick from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to preserve the win.

BELGIUM 3, RUSSIA 0

(Romelu Lukaku 10′, 88′; Thomas Meunier 34′)

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku stayed hot after an outstanding club season, kicking off his Euros by scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Russia in Group B play. Lukaku’s brace came with a 34th-minute goal from Thomas Meunier sandwiched in between.

The Belgians dominated the match, winning 62 percent of possession and holding the Russians to only one shot on goal. Belgium, however, lost defender Timothy Castagne to a first-half head injury that has ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.

WALES 1, SWITZERLAND 1

(Kieffer Moore 74′) — (Breel Embolo 49′)

Kieffer Moore’s 74th-minute goal saved Wales from suffering defeat in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Saturday’s early game. Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward turned in an outstanding performance to prevent the Swiss from adding to its lead following Breel Emboli’s headed opener four minutes after halftime.

Switzerland piled on the pressure after Moore equalized and looked to have reclaim the lead in the 84th minute. Mario Gavranovic’s goal was disallowed, however, after a VAR review determined the Swiss forward was offside.

TURKEY 0, ITALY 3

(Merih Demiral (OG) 53′, Ciro Immobile 66′, Lorenzo Insigne 79′)

Italy proved in Friday’s opening game why it is widely expected to make a deep run in this competition, posting an impressive 3-0 win over Turkey in Rome.

Merih Demiral suffered the ignominy of scoring an own goal to open Euro 2020 in the 53rd minute. A cross from Domenico Berardi struck Demiral on the chest before finding the back of the net.

Ciro Immobile authored Italy’s second goal 13 minutes later, and Lorenzo Insigne completed the rout by scoring with a powerful shot into the lower right corner in the 79th.

Comments

  1. I saw it live and immediately thought of my own long history of heart arhythmias that after 40 years required a heart transplant. Many members of the transplant group on facebook had similar reactions to mine. Many of them spent a long period unconscious and underwent multiple shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm. They all mentioned how when they saw it the had flashbacks to their own experiences. I was fortunate in that I never passed out, but in several times over 40 years was cardioverted and/or shocked by my ICD. Of course, right now we don’t really know it was a heart problem, but the facebook group and I fear for his future and wish him well.

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  2. The sadness I felt after watching Eriksen’s collapse — it reminded me of seeing Fabrice Muamba collapse in 2012 with Bolton. It puts everything in perspective for a while. But the way everyone (and I mean everyone) responded was a testament to the true spirit of the game. I hope he recovers quickly and fully. He’s a remarkable player.

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