Slovenia thwarts Eriksen’s dream return to the Euro Cup
Sometimes, football offers us scripts that seem like a movie. The Slovenia-Denmark game seemed to fall into the dramatic genre. It was like one of those stories that makes you shed a few tears and ends with a happy ending.
The setting of this film was Stuttgart and the protagonist Christian Eriksen, destined to close a wound open for three years. He did it to a certain extent, scoring Denmark’s first goal in the Euro Cup and putting his team on track for its first victory in this Euro Cup. But in every movie where there is a hero, there is usually also a villain. Slovenia played that role by thwarting Eriksen’s dream comeback and scoring its first point (1-1).
The most emotional goal of the Euro Cup rewards Danish sobriety
There are times when sport offers us episodes that transcend beyond what happens on the field of play. There are moments that, due to their emotionality and meaning, take the competition to another dimension. Moments that remain etched in the memories of fans.
One of those eternally remembered situations took place on July 12, 2021. That day, Christian Eriksen’s life took a turn. The player suffered a cardiac arrest in the match between Denmark and Finland in the Euro Cup and was torn between life and death.
Three years later, specifically 1,100 days, the Danish footballer reconciled himself with the tournament. Eriksen returned to the Euro Cup scoring Denmark’s first goal in this Euro Cup. As if football had everything prepared, as if it were a matter of destiny, as if sport sometimes had memory.
Sentimentality aside, the Manchester United player’s goal rewarded Danish sobriety. The team led by Kasper Hjulmand, without doing anything out of this world, was superior to the Slovenian team during the first act. Led by an omnipresent Eriksen, the Danes dominated the game and had chances to go into the break with a greater lead.
Slovenian insistence ends up paying off
The scene of the game changed in the second half. Denmark slowed down. Perhaps he settled for the advantage, despite it being minimal. A shot by Hojlund that Oblak blocked was the highlight for the Danes after the break.
Slovenia was the complete opposite. With more heart than game, the Slovenians began to appear more frequently around Schmeichel’s goal. After a warning from Cerin and another from Sesko that ended up hitting the post, Janza ended up doing justice with a long shot that tripped over Hjulmand, confused Schmeichel and slipped into the Danish goal.
In the final stages, Slovenia deserved to have won a bigger prize. The clearest opportunity came to Sporar, with a shot that crashed into the side of the net.
