After an emotional start to the group stages of Euro 2020, Denmark went from being second to last in Group B to advance to the knockout stages after a dramatic 4-1 victory over Russia as Belgium simultaneously defeated Finland 2-0.
The horrifying collapse of Christian Eriksen in Denmark’s 1-0 loss to Finland was the start of a dramatic group stage for the Danes. Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field.
Coming into the group finale, Denmark did not have a single point after losing to group leader Belgium. After heroics in their match against Russia, Denmark was able to advance on goal differential over Russia and Finland, all of whom finished with three points.
Three second-half goals, most notably the stunning strike by Chelsea‘s Andreas Christensen, made the difference in Denmark’s match against Russia. This game was played in front of a passionate home crowd in Denmark on the same field where Eriksen collapsed. After the final goal, Joakim Mæhle signaled the number 10 to the camera, in honor of his teammate Eriksen.
Simultaneously Belgium and Finland played a closely contested match. Denmark needed a Belgian win to advance to the knockout stage of the competition. As Denmark’s match concluded slightly prior to Belgium-Finland, Danish players gathered on the field to check the score on their cell phones before erupting into celebration.
If Finland had managed to hold on for the tie, they would have advanced to the Knockout Stage in place of Denmark. Now, Denmark will face Group A winner Wales in the Round of 16.
