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COPENHAGEN. Danish footballers and their fans will not forget this year’s EURO.
After a traumatic start, they can smile after the group phase when they have secured a participation in the round of 16 at the last minute. They made it into the top sixteen thanks to a 4: 1 triumph over Russia and Belgium’s 2-0 victory over Finland.
In the B-group, they took second place, despite winning only three points out of three matches and becoming the first team in the history of the European Championships to advance after two initial losses.
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Final table of group B
Country nameState
Score
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Z = Matches, V = Wins, R = Draws, P = Losses, B = Points
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They also fought for Eriksen
There were high expectations in Denmark before the tournament, some media made them the black horse of the championship, in addition, they played all three matches of the group at home in Copenhagen.
But a higher power entered the opening duel. At the end of the first half, Christian Eriksen collapsed and once again finished football on the second track.
The doctors managed to revive him, but the shaken Danes did not manage the duel against the Finns and lost 0: 1. This was followed by a defeat with the Belgians (1: 2) and before the final meeting with the Russians, the situation was difficult to resolve. They had zero in their account and had to rely on Belgium’s victory over Finland.
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However, the Danes mobilized, triumphed 4: 1 and even in a parallel duel in St. Petersburg, there was no surprise when the Belgians succeeded 2: 0, although they broke the opponent in the end.
Thanks to the score, the complicated tournament mathematics moved the Danes to the second place before the Finns, who have to wait in the table of third teams for the development in other groups. The Russians said goodbye to the tournament.
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They waited in a circle to advance
The Danes, who also fought for Eriksen, formed a circle in the middle of the field after the final whistle and waited for the end of the match between Belgium and Finland. At that time, the Belgians were already leading 2: 0, but the real celebrations started in Copenhagen only after the final end.
“There was no point in rejoicing until the match was over. We were hoping it could be a magical evening and I want to thank all our fans. Their support really hit the whole team, it was felt and I am grateful to them for that,” said the coach. Kasper Hjulmand, who brought the Danes into the decommissioning phase for the first time since 2004.
Wales are waiting for them in the round of 16, the duel is on the program on Saturday 26 June in Amsterdam.
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However, their victory was not born as easily as the final score suggests. It was not until the end of the first half that Mikkel Damsgaard prevailed, who at the age of 20 and 353 days became the youngest Danish shooter in the history of the European Championships.
“It’s crazy that we’ve progressed. It’s an incredible feeling and being part of it all is fantastic,” Damsgaard told UEFA.com.
The author of the winning goal was Yusuf Poulsen, when in the 59th minute he took advantage of a huge mistake in the Russian pass and increased it to 2: 0.
Although Arťom Dziuba immediately corrected from the penalty and with his 30th goal in the national team he equaled the record of record holder Alexander Keržakov, according to Poulsen, the second Danish goal was a turning point.
“The opponent defended well, especially the first 60 minutes. But then we found the rhythm, we just had to break them. It was hard in the first half, but we did what we had to do.”
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Unhappy Russians
A much sadder mood prevailed in the Russian team. Although he had everything in his own hands and a draw would have been enough for him to advance in the given circumstances, he finally says goodbye to the tournament. And this despite the fact that the Russians defeated the Finns 1: 0.
In the microtable, together with the Danes and the Finns, however, they had the worst score, which was not even enough for third place.
“I thank the boys for their work. They were ready for this match, but it didn’t work out. We should have changed our chances in the first half. On the contrary, we collected money out of nowhere. We have to disassemble it and move on,” said Russian helmsman Stanislav Cercesov.
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The Belgians also influenced the Slovaks
The triumph of Belgium was not only pleased with the Danes, the development in the “béčka” significantly affected the events in other groups, including the “Slovak” E-group. Since the third Finns have three points in the account, all participants who have one more point in the account moved to the eight-finals.
Czechs, English, Swiss, French and also Slovak rivals Swedes gained security.
The tenacious North Macedonians held a goal-free position until the 74th minute, when after a corner kick Thomas Vermaelen’s head bounced behind the goal line, he officially determined his intervention as his own goal by Lukáš Hrádecký. Seven minutes later, he added his third shot to Romel Lukak.
“We were a bit unlucky in the first goal. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get at least one point. We still have a small chance to advance, but no matter, I’m proud of the boys for their performance in the whole championship,” said Finnish coach Markku Kanerva.
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Much sadder was midfielder Tim Sparv, who was sorry that the hard work had finally gone out, but with one breath he highlighted the quality of the opponent: “I’m extremely disappointed. We defended well and worked really hard. I hoped to achieve more. if the Belgians made it to the finals. “
The Belgians also acknowledged that the weaker opponent on paper gave them a break and they had to reach the bottom of the forces to get all the points.
“Finland is experiencing a great tournament, we had to give our best performance to succeed. However, we were focused, well defended and patiently waited for the first goal,” said Belgian coach Roberto Martinez.
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