Emotions were running high at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark on Thursday.
For the first time since Saturday’s scary on-field collapse of Denmark’s Christian Eriksen due to cardiac arrest, the national team took the field at Euro 2020.
With Eriksen cheering on his compatriots from a nearby hospital in the nation’s capital, the Danes took on mighty Belgium in a Group B clash.
While the tributes and well-wishes for Eriksen’s recovery were the main focus of the match, there was still an important game to be played.
Despite the emotion of the day, Belgium’s quality ultimately broke through in the second half — spurred on by the immeasurable impact of Kevin de Bruyne coming off of the bench at halftime.
Though Denmark made a fight of it to the end, Belgium left with a 2-1 victory in a match filled with poignant moments before and during the course of play.
Here are the top moments and scenes from the match in Copenhagen:
Ahead of the teams taking the field, fans in the stands borrowed a chant best associated with Liverpool fans — the iconic serenade of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Fans in the stands also held up banners of support, and the giant Danish jersey used in the pregame buildup was outfitted to look like Eriksen’s.
When the captains met at the halfway line, Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen brought out a shirt signed by the whole Belgium square that read “Get Well Soon” in Danish.
After that, it was game time, and Denmark seized a dream start off the foot of Yussuf Poulsen.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg pounced on a loose pass from Belgium’s defense to feed Poulsen, who slotted home in the second minute of the match — the second-fastest goal scored in the history of the tournament.
Needless to say, the goal was an emotional moment for the team.
In the 10th minute, the two teams stopped play for a minute of applause for Eriksen, who wears the No. 10 kit for the Danes.
Denmark held onto their slender lead going into halftime, and potentially could have added to it if not for some brilliant saves from Thibaut Courtois, but Belgium manager Roberto Martinez made the switch that would eventually be Denmark’s undoing.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku made a brilliant run with the ball into Denmark’s box and found De Bruyne — who came on as a half-time substitute — who in turn squared to Thorgan Hazard for a routine tap-in.
Then, in the 70th minute, De Bruyne reared his head again following some crisp passing by the Belgium attack in and around the Danish penalty area.
Down 2-1 in the closing minutes of the game, Denmark came within inches of getting a result, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Martin Braithwaite’s angled header in the 87th minute glanced off of the woodwork and Belgium held on to take the 2-1 win.
With the win, Belgium locked down a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
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