Denmark 0-1 Finland: 5 talking points as Christian Eriksen's collapse overshadows Finland's first-ever win at the Euros | EURO 2020
Finland beat Nordic rivals Denmark 1-0 at Parken in their EURO 2020 Group B fixture. The match had to be stopped 40 minutes into the first half when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field.
Eriksen's heart had stopped due to a cardiac arrest and the two teams immediately rushed the doctors on to the field. The Danish player was taken to a hospital as the footballing world waited rather nervously.
Euro 2020 organizers UEFA confirmed a little later that the player was stable and able to talk and under recovery. After a delay of an hour and 45 minutes, play was resumed at the request of the players. The Danish FA communicated along with UEFA that the teams wanted to resume the match.
The Danish players were clearly distraught and a few were seen in tears during the warm-up prior to the restart. They put a brave account of themselves on the pitch and were clearly the more dominant side on the field. However, as luck would have it, Finland scored from one shot on goal and bagged three crucial points in their opening match.
Joel Pohjanpalo's header proved to be the difference in the game as Denmark failed to find the back of the net despite 22 attempts on goal.
The hosts, however, were handed a golden opportunity to equalize in the 74th minute, when Paulus Arajuuri brought down Yussuf Poulsen in the box. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg stepped up to take the subsequent penalty, but his effort was saved by Finnish goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký.
It was a historic night for Finland as they registered their first goal and their first win at a major European tournament. However, they showed the utmost respect for Eriksen and the Denmark team with their muted celebrations on the pitch.
Here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Denmark not decisive enough in the final third
Denmark were clearly the better side in the game despite the events surrounding Eriksen's medical emergency. They continued to dominate possession and were able to move the ball easily into the final third.
The hosts had 22 shots, of which six were on target, but could not find a way past Hrádecký, who capped off a brilliant performance with a penalty save in the 74th minute.
Losing Eriksen was a major blow to them. They missed his pin-point passes and astute deliveries in the final third. The medical emergency also affected the Danish players mentally, as it would to any team in the world.
#4 Finland score their first major European tournament goal in Euro 2020
Finland were the second-best side throughout the game. A quick look at the stats paints a telling picture of the same. They had 30% possession, were behind in passes completed, with a 68% conversion rate, committed more fouls and most notably only had one shot on target.
However, that one shot was enough for them to take the lead against Denmark in the game. It was a golden goal for the visitors, who scored completely against the run of play.
It was their only opportunity in their first ever game in a major European tournament.
Also See: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world