When the day started, Denmark’s time at Euro 2020 was just about over.
When it ended, Denmark — and pretty much every neutral fan — was over the moon.
The Danes blew past Russia 4-1 thanks to a big second half, and Belgium’s 2-0 win over Finland elsewhere meant Denmark finished second in Group B thanks to tiebreakers.
Andreas Christensen’s rocket goal in the 79th minute ensured Denmark’s goal difference would be enough to vault from fourth place to second, which guarantees a spot in the knockout stage:
This all comes nine days after Christian Eriksen’s on-field collapse in the opener against Finland. The Danes lost their first two games, with several of them admitting their mental state was affected by the incident, and entered Monday at the bottom of Group B with zero points.
Russia and Finland each had three points apiece, though, which meant if Denmark won and the other result fell the right way, automatic advancement was within their grasp. The top two teams in each group advance, and the top four third-place teams qualify for the knockout stage as well.
Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard scored on a gorgeous curler in the first half to give hope to the crowd in Copenhagen, one of the tournament’s host sites. Just before the hour mark, Russia’s Roman Zobnin gifted Denmark a second goal with an awful pass back that Yussuf Poulsen tucked into the net:
This story will be updated.
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