Denmark’s Christian Eriksen is in the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during a game, and so his team halted a match against Belgium to hold a tribute to him. A shirt was unveiled with his name and number. This was the first time one of those shirts included a name. The Associated Press has the story:
Beautiful tribute to soccer player in hospital during EU 2020 game
(AP) The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
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Denmark and Belgium players have halted their European Championship match for a stadium-wide minute’s applause for Christian Eriksen.
Play was stopped after the clock hit 10 minutes to start the tribute. It was a pre-planned action to honor Eriksen. The midfielder wears the No. 10 shirt for Denmark’s national team.
Eriksen is recovering in a nearby hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark’s first game against Finland at Euro 2020. The hospital is close enough to Parken Stadium that Eriksen was expected to hear the tribute from his room.
Yussuf Poulsen scored in the second minute to give Denmark a 1-0 lead.
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UEFA has paid a special tribute to Christian Eriksen before Denmark’s game against Belgium at the European Championship.
A giant Denmark shirt with Eriksen’s name and No. 10 shirt was unveiled on the field at Parken Stadium to a massive roar of approval from the fans. Such giant match shirts are unveiled for both teams before every game but this was the first time one carried a player’s name.
Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark’s first game against Finland.
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Formation of team changed due to Eriksen’s absence
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand has changed his team’s formation for the European Championship game against Belgium to make up for the absence of Christian Eriksen.
Hjulmand has made two changes to his lineup and is apparently shifting to a back-three formation instead of a 4-3-3.
Mikkel Damsgaard and Jannik Vestergaard come into the team while forward Jonas Wind will be on the bench.
Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was also on the bench after missing his team’s first game against Russia with a facial fracture.
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Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk both scored again at the European Championship in Ukraine’s 2-1 victory over North Macedonia.
The two forwards also scored in the 3-2 loss to the Netherlands in the team’s opening match at Euro 2020.
Yarmolenko scored from close range in 29th minute after Oleksandr Karavaev’s flick from a corner. He then released Yaremchuk on the right flank five minutes later to double the lead with a low shot past onrushing goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Ezgjan Alioski got the only goal for North Macedonia in 57th minute when he scored on a rebound after goalkeeper Georgiy blocked his penalty shot.
Malinovskyi later had a penalty saved on the other end.
Ukraine now has three points in Group C while North Macedonia has zero.
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UEFA says it has accepted the France team’s explanation that Benjamin Pavard did not sustain a concussion in the European Championship match against Germany.
Pavard said after Tuesday’s game he felt knocked out for about 10 to 15 seconds by a challenge from Robin Gosens.
It raised concern that the French team’s medical staff ignored UEFA’s concussion protocol by letting the defender continue playing. France won 1-0.
UEFA tournament director Martin Kallen says “we got the confirmation from the French team doctors that he had no concussion.”
Kallen says that was checked by UEFA medial officials and accepted.
UEFA says Pavard “will nevertheless continue to be closely monitored over the coming days.”
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COVID-19 pops up on Slovakian team
Slovakia coach Stefan Tarkovic says defender Denis Vavro and a member of the team’s coaching staff have tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the European Championship match against Sweden.
Tarkovic says Vavro has no symptoms and is isolating. He didn’t disclose the name of the coach.
The game against Sweden is in St. Petersburg on Friday.
They are the first positive tests for the virus at the tournament since Euro 2020 started.
Sweden players Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg tested positive for the virus ahead of the tournament.
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Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer has left the team to join his wife for the birth of their second child.
The Swiss soccer federation says Sommer left for Germany after the team’s 3-0 loss to Italy on Wednesday in Rome.
It was unclear if Sommer will return for the final Group A game Sunday against Turkey in Baku. Switzerland needs a win to advance to the round of 16.
Sommer plays in Germany for Borussia Mönchengladbach. He posted on his Instagram account in April that his wife was expecting a baby girl. They already have a daughter.
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The Danish soccer federation says Christian Eriksen will be fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm.
Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark’s game against Finland at the European Championship.
The Danish federation said doctors have determined that Eriksen needs to have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
The federation says such a device “is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.” It says Eriksen ”has accepted the solution” and that international specialists all recommend the same treatment.
The federation asked that Eriksen and his family be given ”peace and privacy the following time.”
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Denmark will get on the field for the first time since Christian Eriksen’s collapse when the team plays Belgium at the European Championship.
The fans at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen plan to honor the midfielder with a minute’s applause in the 10th minute of the match. Eriksen wears No. 10 on his national team jersey.
Ukraine will face North Macedonia in Bucharest in the first match of the day. The Netherlands will take on Austria in Amsterdam in the late one.
Belgium can advance to the round of the 16 with a victory. A win for either the Netherlands or Austria would also be enough to get through.
