Euro 2020: England, motivated by rising expectations, face high-on-emotions Denmark
And emotions will be high at Wembley Stadium before their European Championship semifinal match even kicks off Wednesday when there will be a moment to remember the tournament’s most harrowing incident and the player who won’t be playing for Denmark.
The England squad has signed a No. 10 jersey emblazoned with Christian Eriksen’s name that will be handed to Denmark captain Simon Kjaer by England counterpart Harry Kane.
The England players were on a bus traveling to London from their training base to prepare for their opening game of Euro 2020 on June 12 when Eriksen collapsed on the field while playing against Finland. He had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator. “We saw it on the screens,” said England defender Kieran Trippier, a former teammate of Eriksen’s at Tottenham. “I was close with Christian. The most important thing is he’s getting better.”
Perhaps what is most remarkable is that while Eriksen recovers from his cardiac arrest, Denmark has managed to reach the semifinals for the first time since unexpectedly winning the European Championship in 1992.
“These last four weeks have been the emotions of a lifetime,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said. “We’ve been facing death in a way I never hoped I should.”
