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Denmark-Belgium match pauses in 10th minute to show support for Christian Eriksen

Players and the referee applaud during the break at the tenth minute to honour Denmark's Christian Eriksen during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group B match between Denmark and Belgium at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, Thursday, June 17, 2021.  - AP
Players and the referee applaud during the break at the tenth minute to honour Denmark's Christian Eriksen during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group B match between Denmark and Belgium at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, Thursday, June 17, 2021. - AP

Denmark’s match against Belgium was paused in the 10th minute as a mark of respect to Christian Eriksen who collapsed in their opening match of the tournament.

The Danes made a fast start in Copenhagen, taking the lead before the match was halted by the referee. The pre-planned show of support included a standing ovation from all fans in attendance with banners and shirts with Eriken’s name held aloft.

Fans applaud Christian Eriksen. - REUTERS
Fans applaud Christian Eriksen. - REUTERS

The Belgian players and referee also joined in with the rapturous applause before the game was restarted after 60 seconds.

Romelu Lukaku hugs Thomas Delaney after kicking the ball out in the 10th minute of the match to applaud Denmark's Christian Eriksen. - REUTERS
Romelu Lukaku hugs Thomas Delaney after kicking the ball out in the 10th minute of the match to applaud Denmark's Christian Eriksen. - REUTERS

On Saturday evening the 29-year-old Inter Milan midfielder had to be resuscitated on the pitch at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen after slumping to the ground during the first half of his side's 1-0 Euro 2020 Group B defeat to Finland.

Eriksen regained consciousness before being taken to hospital, where medics continue to work to identify what caused his cardiac arrest.

It was confirmed by the national team doctor on Thursday that Eriksen is to be fitted with a heart starter.

Providing an update on his status on Thursday, Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said: "After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter)."


03:21 PM

That's it from me.

Thanks a lot for joining me on today's liveblog for Matchday 2. Be sure to stick with Telegraph Sport for more live coverage throughout the Euros, and you can join my colleague Daniel Zeqiri for the build-up ahead of Denmark v Belgium here.

Bye for now!


03:17 PM

Belgium to pay tribute to Eriksen in Copenhagen

Romelu Lukaku has announced that Belgium will kick the ball out of play at the 10 minute mark of today's game against Denmark in tribute to Christian Eriksen.

Lukaku said the Red Devils will "kick the ball out for a throw-in to stop and applaud and mark this moment.''

The 10-minute mark was chosen to correspond with the shirt number of Erisken, who remains in hospital as he awaits an operation to implant a defibrillator to protect against further disturbances to his cardiac rhythm.


03:08 PM

Denmark vs. Belgium team news

The line-ups for the clash in Copenhagen have been revealed and Kevin De Bruyne will be on the bench for Belgium alongside Eden Hazard and Alex Witsel.

De Bruyne and Witsel both return from injuries while the younger Hazard, Thorgan, starts on the left wing.

For Denmark, Southampton's Jannik Vestergaard starts at the back alongside captain Simon Kjaer, with Valencia midfielder Daniel Wass lining up on the right-hand-side to replace Christian Eriksen.


03:01 PM

FT: Ukraine 2- 1 North Macedonia

Ukraine have secured their first win in European championship history with victory over a resistant but ultimately outclassed North Macedonia in Bucharest.

Next up: Denmark v Belgium at 5pm on ITV. You can join our team for live build-up and match updates here.


02:47 PM

Penalties passed up

Four of the five penalties that have been awarded so far at Euro 2020 have been missed or saved.

The one that was scored? Cristiano Ronaldo, of course...


02:34 PM

Denmark v Belgium countdown

Just under 90 minutes to go until kick-off for the Group B battle between Denmark and Belgium in Copenhagen.

Still waiting on final confirmation of the line-ups. It will be interesting to see if Martinez believes Kevin De Bruyne is ready to play - Belgium can secure early qualification for the round of 16 with victory today.


02:24 PM

Ukraine 2 - 1 North Macedonia

Bushchan makes a stellar save from the penalty spot, only for Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski to score off the rebound for North Macedonia. We've got an interesting final 30 minutes on our hands!

Follow the game on our dedicated live blog here.


02:19 PM

Uefa statement on players removing sponsor drinks from press conferences

Uefa's tournament director for Euro 2020 Martin Kallen said that Uefa 'has communicated with the teams' regarding the removal of sponsor drinks and promotional material in press conferences.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Manuel Locatelli have all moved sponsor bottles away from their place at the table during press conferences this week, prompting Uefa to issue a reminder to teams that strategically placed sponsor material must be left alone:

"It is important because the revenues of the sponsors are important for the tournament and for European football," said Kallen.

Kallen did confirm however that players with religious obligations aren't required to have a bottle in front of them.

Paul Pogba, who is a practicing Muslim, placed a bottle of Euro 2020's official beer sponsor Heineken below the table as a spoke to the press following France's 1-0 over Germany earlier this week.


02:02 PM

Second half: Ukraine v North Macedonia

Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk will be eager for more this half!


01:54 PM

FA statement ahead of England v Scotland

The FA have released an official statement asking fans to support England in 'the right way' ahead of tomorrow's international derby and thanked the Scottish team for deciding to take the knee with England after a small minority booed the kneeling English players on Sunday.

"On behalf of the manager and the team, please support England in the right way, before, during and after the fixture.

"This includes showing respect to each national anthem before the game. We are playing at home and we need the supporters to fully get behind the team.

"We are very pleased that both England and Scotland players will demonstrate unity when they take the knee ahead of kick-off. We thank the Scottish team for this showing of solidarity as together we highlight our common values of respect and equality.

"Please do respect the players when they take the knee as they continue to highlight and challenge discrimination, in all its forms.

"Football is about celebrating pride and passion, not shouting abuse or discrimination. We hope everybody enjoys the day and shows their support in a way that will do their country proud, both inside and outside of Wembley Stadium."


01:37 PM

Ukraine 2-0 North Macedonia

Ukraine were looking like the superior team from the off and have scored two in quick succession.

West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko netted a back post tap-in at the 30-minute mark followed swiftly by a tidy finish from Roman Yaremchuk at minute 34.

Follow the game on our dedicated live blog here.


01:17 PM

Austrian captain David Alaba on facing the Dutch:

"It's not a secret that the Netherlands are the favourites in our group.

"Their team has a lot of talent, whether it's as a team or as individual players. It really is a team that comes with a lot of quality and that's how they play.

"Nevertheless, we want to concentrate on ourselves, on our strengths, and then bring that to the pitch. We know their strengths, we know their weaknesses too of course. And we know of our potential and we want to realise this potential."


01:12 PM

High stakes in Amsterdam

Tonight's match between the Netherlands and Austria is a big one for both teams.

Three points could well secure the winner a first-place qualification from Group C, while the runner-up is likely to face Italy in the round of 16.

Italy have begun their Euro 2020 campaign with two successive 3-0 victories and are looking to be a serious contender, having not conceded a goal in a whopping 965 minutes of play.


01:01 PM

Kick-off in Bucharest!

Ukraine v North Macedonia is live on ITV and you can join my colleague Daniel Zeqiri for live match updates here.


12:57 PM

Goran Pandev

Pandev, 37, is captaining North Macedonia in their first ever Euros.

The Genoa forward, who was part of Inter Milan's historic treble-winning 2009 season, scored the goal that secured Euro qualification for North Macedonia and will retire from international duty following the tournament.

The veteran striker will now make his 121st cap against Ukraine after netting his 37th international goal against Austria in North Macedonia's tournament opener.


12:43 PM

Players are on the pitch in Bucharest

Euro 2020 latest news: Christian Eriksen to be fitted with heart starter, reveals Denmark doctor - UEFA via Getty Images
Euro 2020 latest news: Christian Eriksen to be fitted with heart starter, reveals Denmark doctor - Robert Ghement/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Euro 2020 latest news: Christian Eriksen to be fitted with heart starter, reveals Denmark doctor - MARKO DJURICA /REUTERS

12:08 PM

A little reminder of what's on our website


12:00 PM

Fans in Bucharest


11:46 AM

Ukraine vs North Macedonia line-ups

The teams have released their starting XIs ahead of their 2pm kick-off live on ITV. You can join my colleague Daniel Zeqiri for dedicated build up and live coverage of the Group C match here.


11:33 AM

Pre-match words from Simon Kjaer

Danish captain Simon Kjaer has released a rousing statement via Twitter ahead of the game with Belgium later today:


11:30 AM

Ukraine v North Macedonia countdown

At T-minus 90 minutes until kick-off between Ukraine and North Macedonia in Bucharest, now seems a good time to share with you a little poem from Poet Laureate of Twitter, Brian Bilston:


11:20 AM

Ruthless Roman Yaremchuk

Ukraine arguably have a stronger side at Euro 2020 than they've had since coach Andriy Shevchenko captained the side to the quarter finals of the 2006 World Cup, with plenty of firepower going forward.

The tip of the Ukrainian spear, Gent striker Roman Yaremchuk, will be eager to nab his second goal in as many games later today after heading home against the Netherlands in Ukraine's first group game.

A goal against North Macedonia would make it four goals in his last five at international level for Yaremchuk, who was Ukraine's top scorer in their unbeaten Uefo Euro qualifying run.


10:56 AM

Danes ready to bounce back

The Danish team looked to be in high spirits during yesterday's training session in Helsingor, 45km north of Copenhagen.

Today's match against Belgium comes just five days after Christian Eriksen suffered his cardiac arrest on the pitch against Finland, which the Danes lost 1-0 after returning to the field mere hours after Eriksen was rushed to hospital.

Euro 2020 latest news: Christian Eriksen to be fitted with heart starter, reveals Denmark doctor - Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images 
Euro 2020 latest news: Christian Eriksen to be fitted with heart starter, reveals Denmark doctor - Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

10:35 AM

Uefa video of support for Eriksen

Uefa has made a video for Christian Eriksen with messages of love and support from all 23 nations involved in Euro 2020, along with a contribution from Uefa President Aleksander Čeferin and chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti. Lovely stuff.


10:28 AM

Join our England v Scotland Euros event!

Our very own Sam Wallace and Jason Burt will be joined by Ally McCoist tomorrow lunchtime to discuss the game and all things Euro 2020 - and you're invited.

You can sign up for the live event here.


10:12 AM

Latest - Kieran Tierney completes full training session ahead of ENG vs SCO tomorrow.

Kieran Tierney has completed his first full training session with Scotland ahead of their showdown with England at Wembley tomorrow.

The Arsenal defender missed Scotland's opener against the Czech Republic on Monday due to a calf-strain he picked up last week, and his stability in defence and willingness to carry the ball forward was sorely missed by Scotland.

Tierney has said it's 'touch and go' whether he will be fully fit to play against England, but his successful completion of a full training session with one day to go is very encouraging news for the Tartan Army ahead of tomorrow's game.


09:50 AM

To me, to you!

North Macedonia players are getting involved in some unique training drills ahead of their clash v Ukraine later...


09:45 AM

Denmark will be 'toughest test' says Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku is expecting a difficult challenge in Copenhagen today against a Denmark team playing at home.

"They didn't really make life easy for us. It was a really difficult game," Lukaku said of the Red Devils' last match against Denmark, in which he scored two goals in a competitive 4-2 victory.

"We know [today's match] will be the toughest test because they have fans and they have extra motivation to beat us."

The Danes will be pushing for an upset after the loss of Christian Eriksen from the squad, the man with whom Lukaku shares a dressing room at Inter Milan.


09:20 AM

De Bruyne back for Belgium

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is expected to play against Denmark this evening after returning to training following an injury sustained in the Champions League final on May 29.

He was joined in his return to training by Borussia Dortmund's Alex Witsel, offering coach Roberto Martinez yet more firepower in his quest to secure early qualification for the round of 16:

"The agenda for De Bruyne is clear: he is fit and can play. The question now is how much he can play.

"I am happy with the progress he is making. The same goes for Axel Witsel. We want every player ready for the next two games," said Martinez, who declined to confirm whether De Bruyne would start.


09:10 AM

Here's the tape of Locatelli's Coca-Cola snub...


08:55 AM

The dragon roars again!

ICYMI... Wales put a shaky 1-1 start to the tournament behind them with a 2-0 victory over Turkey last night.

In stark contrast to their muted performance against Switzerland on Saturday, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey shone brightly against Turkey, connecting beautifully for Wales' first goal before Bale snaked through the Turkish defence to set up Connor Roberts for a second in stoppage time.

Coach Rob Page was full of praise for his team after the match: "I couldn't be more proud. I've just said to them to create the number of chances we did is unbelievable.

"We are disappointed we didn't score more but to win in the manner we did, credit goes to the players."

Read our full match report here.


08:38 AM

Your morning briefing

Here's a round-up of some of the top stories on our website from Euro 2020.
Take a peek and then join me back here for more live build-up to today's matches.


08:21 AM

What's coming up

A very warm welcome to Telegraph Sport’s daily liveblog as we look ahead to a tantalising triple-header in which three teams are on the hunt for early qualification to the round of 16.

Today’s action kicks off at 2pm in Bucharest with Ukraine v North Macedonia, followed by Denmark and Belgium at 5pm on the Danes’ home turf in Copenhagen. The Netherlands then welcome Austria to Amsterdam at 8pm to round off Matchday 2 for Group C. You can follow every match with us.

Ukraine and North Macedonia are looking to scoop their first points of the tournament after both teams suffered frustrating defeats in their first Group C games. Ukraine conceded an agonising late goal to lose 3-2 to the Netherlands on Sunday, while North Macedonia let in two goals in the final 12 minutes after holding Austria at 1-1 for much of the game.

Then it’s back to Group B and the Parken Stadium as home team Denmark take on the number one-ranked team in world football, Belgium. This promises to be a highly charged affair, with the Danes looking to upset a confident Belgium side in what is their first game since talismanic striker Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest against Finland just five days ago.

The final match of the day serves up a potential shootout for the top spot in Group C. Tonight’s game between the Netherlands and Austria is the only Matchday 2 encounter between two opening game-winners, and victory could secure the winners an early first-place qualification for the round of 16 depending on the result of Ukraine v Macedonia.


08:02 AM

Christian Eriksen update

Christian Eriksen is set to receive an implantable defibrillator to treat rhythmic disturbances on the advice of the cardiac specialist at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark's opening game with Finland on Saturday and was resuscitated on the pitch.


07:49 AM

Coca-Cola snubs continue at Euro 2020

With just one move of his hand and a declaration of 'Agua!", Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly sent Coca-Cola's market value into a $4bn (£2.8bn) slide on Monday when he shuffled the sponsor's bottles away from the press conference table and replaced them with a bottle of water.

At a market value of roughly $240bn (£172bn), Coca-Cola is still likely to survive the snub. But their troubles at the tournament continued last night when Manuel Locatelli, fresh off the back of his 'Star of the Match' winning performance in Italy's 3-0 drubbing of Switzerland, followed in Ronaldo's footsteps and made way for his cool bottle of agua at the expense of the drinks giant.

Euro 2020 latest news, - UEFA via Getty Images
Euro 2020 latest news, - UEFA via Getty Images

07:28 AM

Rashford: England vs Scotland will be one of the biggest games we'll play

Marcus Rashford has claimed England’s European Championship clash against Scotland will be one of the biggest games the two sets of players will ever be involved in.

Scotland travel to Wembley on Friday for a re-run of the famous 1996 European Championship game and Rashford expects this year’s match between the two nations to go down in history.

Asked if the game means as much to the players, Rashford, who was born a year after Euro 96, said: “Yes, definitely. As players you want to play in the biggest, most historical games. Through our careers this is going to be up there with one of the biggest games that we play, one of the games we remember for the rest of our careers.”

Rashford faced Scotland in 2017, when the two countries drew 2-2 in World Cup qualifying at Hampden Park, and he added: “For me, I look back at the last time I played against them - the atmosphere, the build up, it was unique. To do it in the Euros is a moment we are looking forward to.

“In football, everyone wants to beat everyone, but in some games it’s how the game is actually being played and the atmosphere and crowd and how much you want to win - it all comes together.

“There is something unique about that game (England versus Scotland). It’s similar to the games against Man City and Liverpool - those types of games, you have a different feeling. You can’t put your finger on it because you approach every game the same. But the build up, the fans, it’s just unique and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Rashford and Raheem Sterling keep active with table tennis - Getty Images
Rashford and Raheem Sterling keep active with table tennis - Getty Images

Rashford did not start England’s first group game against Croatia, but the forward is putting pressure on Phil Foden as manager Gareth Southgate ponders whether to make any changes to his winning side for the visit of Scotland.

“Every single player wants to play,” said Rashford. “From the tournaments I’ve been to in the past, doing really well in Russia, it’s clear you need everyone to go a long distance in a tournament. Whether you’re on the bench or starting, you have to be ready to come on and do your best. That’s the mentality of the group and it’s important we keep that mentality moving forward if we want to be successful and win things. I’m just going to keep working hard, whether it’s starting or off the bench.”

Victory over Scotland would guarantee England’s passage into the knockout stages with a game against the Czech Republic to spare, but they are likely to face one of France, Portugal or Germany in the last-16 if they top the group.

Having now seen each team in the tournament at least once, Rashford insists England have nothing to fear, whoever they come up against in the tournament.

“One thing I’d say is we are not scared of any team,” said Rashford. “You have to work hard and believe in yourself and your team-mates. If you don’t do that you may as well forget about winning. We’re not scared of any other teams. Are there teams that have played well and impressed us? Yeah definitely. I think there have been some strong performances, some performances that make you sit back and enjoy the game of football.

“Going forward, if we are going to win the tournament we are going to have to play against the best teams in the tournament. We want to look forward to those games. We don’t want to be scared of playing against these teams.

“Especially since Russia, we have exposed ourselves to more of these big games against the best teams, the biggest nations and some of the best players in the world, and we’ve managed to deal with it and win a lot more of the games than before the World Cup. We’ve managed to show ourselves better in the bigger games since the World Cup.

“But you definitely can’t overlook this Scotland team because they are a team who have got many different ways of scoring goals. It didn’t really happen for them in the first game, but you can’t ignore the signs as a player. We approach the game with the right mentality - the same mentality with which we approach every other game. We have to respect the opponents and their qualities and find ways to break them down and hurt them with our own qualities.”

Matt Law