GARETH SOUTHGATE has warned his England players that Denmark will be riding ‘a powerful wave of emotion’ heading into Wednesday’s Euros semi-final.
The football world was stunned when Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during his team’s tournament opener against Finland.
And the England boss believes that trauma has strengthened the Danes’ team spirit.
Southgate said: “We talk about perspective in sport but we rarely have it and this was a moment (Eriksen’s collapse) that brought it home for all of us.
“I can also imagine what it has done for the Danish team, their bond.
“What they went through that day – the way their captain (Simon Kjaer) acted and the way the group was – and how that would have connected with their supporters.
“That’s pretty powerful.
“They are riding a wave of emotion for certain and that’s a powerful force that’s coming to Wembley.
“Those things definitely have an impact on your thinking. We talk about pressure a lot and we lose perspective of what that might be when we play sport.
“But I know our players are at their best when they are calm and playing another game and the thinking process is really clear.”
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Denmark lost their opening game 1-0 to Finland, before looking on the brink of going out after falling 2-1 to Belgium.
They squeezed into the Round of 16 with a 4-1 thumping of Russia, however, before routing Wales 4-0.
Just hours before England’s resounding 4-0 win over Ukraine, Denmark booked their place in Wednesday’s semi with a 2-1 win over tournament surprise package Czech Republic in Baku.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
