Off the Pitch: Euro 2020– day 2

The Second day of Euro 2020 saw six teams go head to head in thrilling games that saw a total of six goals being scored throughout the tournament. Wales faced Switzerland in the first game of the day, during which Gareth Bale and co. managed to hilariously continue their tradition of taking unconventional pre-match team photos. The clash ended in a 1-1 draw and we went on to the Parken Stadium to watch

take on Finland. But an unfortunate incident involving Christian Eriksen took all the fun out of the game.

At full time,

emerged victorious thanks to a goal from Joel Pohjanpalo in the 59th minute, with his shot being Finland’s one and only attempt of the game. Later in the evening, Belgium visited Russia at the Gasprom Arena and managed to put three behind the 2018 World Cup hosts’ goalkeeper to start off their group stages with a bang. Let’s take a look at everything that caught the attention of the media and the viewers.

Euro 2020– day 2 Review

From Wales’ chaotic team photos to Christian Eriksen’s sudden collapse and Simon Kjaer’s surprisingly exemplary leadership, a lot happened during the second day of Euro 2020. Let’s dive in and see what happened exactly.

Christian Eriksen’s sudden cardiac arrest

Former

and current

midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on the field during the Euro 2020 Group Stage match against Finland. The 29-year-old was simply pacing to get the ball when he suddenly collapsed to the ground and left everyone in horror. It took a couple of seconds before everyone noticed how serious the situation was, after which Eriksen was given CPR by the field medics who sprinted onto the pitch and towards the midfielder in less than 15 seconds. The CPR process took minutes as the medical team were doing everything they could to save the talented footballer.

The stadium watched in shock as Danish players formed a circle around Eriksen to provide a tiny bit of privacy for the player and to save everyone from the horrific scenes. Supporters of both national teams started chanting Eriksen’s name as the footballer was taken to hospital, with one particular image showing that Eriksen had regained partial consciousness. Finnish fans chanted “Christian” and Danish supporters chanted back “Eriksen” as beautiful scenes were made at the stadium.

The match was initially suspended by the officials and was only resumed following the request made by players. The meeting ended 1-0 in Finland’s favor, but the goal scorer Joel Phohjanpalo didn’t celebrate his goal to show his respect and earn the praise of everyone watching.  

Thankfully, it’s been confirmed that Christian Eriksen, father of two, is in fact awake and awaits further testing at hospital. His agent Martin Schoots also confirmed the news on Danish radio station that he “breathes and can speak. He is out of danger.” We too at Sportmob hope that he gets to recover as soon as possible and return to his family safely.

The now €40-million-rated midfielder gained global attention as a rising star back in 2010, when he got promoted to

’s senior squad having risen up the ranks at the club’s U19 side. He quickly managed to turn the heads of bigger clubs towards himself and later earned a €14 million move to Tottenham back in 2013. Eriksen spent almost seven years in the Premier League, playing for Spurs, where he made more than 300 appearances, racking up an amazing 69 goals and phenomenally providing 90 assists throughout his tenure.

The Danish midfielder then moved to Inter for €27 million in 2020, despite having a market value of €90 million. The Italian side managed to sign such a talented and prolific midfielder for such a low price due to the fact that Eriksen had only one year left in his contract with Spurs and could have left the club for free if Spurs had waited another year. Hopefully, this won’t be the end of the Denmark international’s career and would get to see him grace the pitch with his technique once again after he fully recovers.

Simon Kjaer’s exemplary leadership

Following a disastrous emergency incident, few could manage to keep their calm and show their immense leadership skills. But Denmark defender Simon Kjaer wasn’t bothered by the responsibility at all, as he showed how a captain can calm down other players and handle the situation. After Christian Eriksen’s sudden cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 group stage match against Finland, it was Simon Kjaer who first rushed to his teammate’s side, managed to clear his airways and give him CPR until the medical team’s arrival.

While others on the pitch were in complete shock, the Denmark captain tried to keep his men calm and ordered them to form a circle around the stricken player to give him a bit of privacy. He also went on to console Eriksen’s wife on the sidelines, who was obviously in shock and terrified of what she had just seen. The

defender drew praise from everyone for his leadership and his ability to handle such a stressful situation.

The 32-year-old has had quite a career so far, having played for world-class clubs such as

, SEvilla, Wolfsburg and Atalanta, before finally making his move to AC Milan permanent for €3.5 million after spending half a season on loan with the Rossoneri. He might not have won any major trophies throughout his quite successful career, but he has certainly won the People’s Choice Award, having won over the hearts of millions with his efforts on the pitch to save his friend and teammate from certain death.

Romelu Lukaku’s message of love and concern

While the world watched the scenes of Eriksen’s collapse in horror and while many tweeted about the incident to show their support to Eriksen’s family and the Danish national team, other football matches had to go on about their business, which is why Romelu Lukaku, Eriksen’s teammate at Inter, had to come up with a better way to show his love and concern for his friend. The Belgian striker was selected as one of the Starting XI for the Belgian national team, who were to face Russia in their first match of the group stages.

During the match that ended 3-0 in Belgium’s favor, Romelu Lukaku scored two goals in the 10th and the 88th minutes, dedicating his goal to his friend and teammate in genius fashion. The Belgian superstar dedicated his first goal to Eriksen by running to the cameras and shouting “Chris, Chris I love you”, which brought tears to the eyes of many watching such beautiful and heartwarming moments of solidarity. Lukaku gained the respect and appreciation of everyone on the internet for his gesture, with many praising his message of love on Twitter during the match.

The 28-year-old tank of a center-forward is one of the fastest players to have scored 60 international goals, having surpassed the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored 62 goals in 94 international caps, providing 14 assists as well. Originally an RSC Anderlecht academy graduate, Lukaku stepped onto the big stage after his €15 million move to Chelsea back in 2011. But just like many other bright talents right under Chelsea’s nose, such as Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne, Lukaku too went on unnoticed at one of the best clubs in the world.

That is why he was loaned out to

, who realized the potential the Belgian had and signed him from

for €35 million in 2014. Lukaku managed to cement his position as one of the best strikers in the world, scoring 87 goals and providing 29 assists in just 166 appearances for Everton.

His impressive form and lethality in front of goal made

pay a staggering €85 million for his services in 2017. But he never got to repeat his past form with the Red Devils, which was why he then moved to Inter for €74 million two years later in 2019.

The Chaotic team photo

On a more lighthearted side during yesterday’s Euro 2020 matchday and before Eriksen’s sudden collapse, it was

and his teammates at the Wales national team that made the headlines for their ridiculous, yet hilarious joke. While some national teams such as Brazil and Germany are known for winning the World Cup on several occasions, the Welsh national team is known for something completely useless yet brilliant.

Gareth Bale and his teammates are known for their unconventional team photos, since they don’t usually line up in the conventional way that other teams do. Instead, they produce some of the most bizarre formations that catch the eye and can even be so unsettling for many. The running joke that started almost four years ago, has seen the Welsh national team produce the most uncanny team photos ever seen, and this time wasn’t an exception either.

During the pre-match photo shoot, Bale’s teammates formed a long line in the front row and left only four players at the back, meaning that an unsettling number of players were sitting down, with the four players left standing able to make things even worse by situating themselves in an offset position rather than keeping at least some sanity for their team photo.

This deliberate way of taking unconventional pre-game photos has become a tradition for the Welsh national team and we hope to see it continue for years to come, becoming a silly and hilarious symbol of Wales.

We will certainly keep our eyes peeled for more drama, laughter and heartbreak during the tournament. We just hope that we won’t ever see anything like Eriksen’s issue happen to anyone on or off the pitch. Such dramatic moments show how united and empathetic people from all around the world can be, regardless of their borders or ethnicities. Hopefully, the only thing remaining from the incident will be the unity between football fans.

READ MORE:

Follow 

 for the