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EURO 2020 is in full swing!And it’s time for Hungary vs Portugal and the mouth-watering France vs Germany today!
England got their campaign off to a winning start thanks to Raheem Sterling’s strike against Croatia.
While Portugal’s Joao Cancelo is out of the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19.
Royal Ascot day one special 🏇🎩

Follow all of the latest news, build up and updates below…
 JOAO CANCEL
Manchester City star Joao Cancelo has been ruled out of Euro 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.
Cancelo has been replaced by Manchester United loanee Diogo Dalot in the Portugal national team.
The full-back tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday and is “doing well” after being placed in isolation.
The reigning European champions said: “In accordance with the COVID-19 protocol defined by UEFA before the Euro 2020 matches, all players and members of the entourage underwent RT-PCR tests on Saturday.
“The results, with the exception of Cancelo, were negative”
HUNGARY VS PORTUGAL SUBS
Hungary: Lang, Kecskes, Nego, Cseri, Dibusz, Edmundsson, Siger, Varga, Bogdan, Nikolic, Schon, Bolla
Portugal: Fonte, Moutinho, A Silva, Lopes, R Silva, Sanches, Neves, Goncalves, Rui Silva, Felix, Oliveira, Mendes
TEAM SHEETS ARE IN!!!
Hungary: Gulacsi, Botka, Orban, At. Szalai, Viera, Kleinheisler, Nagy, Schafer, Fiola, Ad. Szalai, Sallai
Ronaldo: Patricio, Semedo, Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro, Pereira, Carvalho, Fernandes, Silva, Ronaldo, Jota
HEND-ING THERE
Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been ruled out for the rest of Euro 2020 due to a hip injury but Jose Mourinho still believes he will become a “phenomenal” player.
Mourinho told The Times: “I think they [England’s trio] are good goalkeepers. I don’t think they are phenomenal goalkeepers or, in Dean Henderson’s case, not yet phenomenal. When I say not yet, I say he will be.
“I met him at United when he was a kid and I always remember him asking me to go on loan. He was saying when I come back, I come back to be the No1.
“He told me that when he was the fourth choice. He is a kid with an incredible self-confidence and I think he is ready”
WHAT’S ON
Today marks perhaps the most exciting day of the Euro 2020 group stage with the group of death in full action.
Underdogs Hungary, who had the misfortune of joining three of the tournament’s biggest favourites, will take on Portugal in one-and-a-half hours at the Puskas Arena.
And later tonight we will get to watch the most highly-anticipated game of the first round of fixtures.
Germany and France are going to collide in what promises to be a highly entertaining encounter
‘FREEDOM’
Paul Pogba says he has more ‘freedom’ with France than he does at Man Utd.
Speaking to L’Equipe, he said: “It’s true that at Juve it was different from Manchester United.
“We were already playing with three midfielders [at Juve], in 5-3-2. I had the freedom, I had to be in the box, to attack. 
“It was an obligation. In Manchester, I have the freedom to go into the box, but the priority is to play and defend.
“We [France] play in 4-2-3-1, also a diamond. I am a little more in the transmission, in the construction. 
“But I have more freedom than in Manchester to enter the box, to make runs forwards.
“At the same time, when you have Griezmann, Kylian, you don’t want to enter their spaces, you don’t need to.“I would like [at Manchester United] to play more offensive [laughs]. To score fifteen goals per season is what I would like.
“But Patrick [Vieira] said it, we must put ourselves at the service of the collective. 
“In Manchester, as in blue, the collective will always come before the player.”

‘WE WERE CONFIDENT’
Scotland captain Andy Robertson said both the country and the team were confident heading into their group stage opener against the Czech Republic.
But the host nation fell to a 2-0 defeat with Schick getting on the scoresheet twice.
Robertson said: “It’s hard to put your finger on it just now. Everyone in the country wanted to get off to a good start.
“We were confident, excited, and it comes down to not taking our chances.
“You can’t say we’ve not created, we’ve had some really, really good chances that we should have done better with. If you do better on that, then it’s a different game.
“It’s a tough lesson for us that at the highest level, at the best tournaments, you have to take your chances. Czech Republic did that, we didn’t.”
RON TOP
The legendary Cristiano Ronaldo is taking part in his 5th European Championships!
The football Icon has scored 104 goals for his country in 175 appearances.
And he helped Portugal win the competition back in 2016, but got injured early on in the final.
Eder stepped up to the plate and beat Lloris from distance!
🗓️ DAY 5… and it’s BIG 🤩Ronaldo set for record 5th EURO appearance vs Hungary before France & Germany lock horns! 🔥Reply with your excitement levels… 👇#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/VPGJEyQ37F— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 15, 2021

GERMANY TEAM GUIDE
Germany face France later on today in their Euro 2020 group stage opener!

FAMILY FIRST
Rio Ferdinand believes Christian Eriksen is unlikely to play football again after his cardiac arrest. 
The 29-year-old was resuscitated on the field during Denmark’s Euro 2020 defeat to Finland on Saturday.
Medics confirmed that he ‘was gone’ before being given CPR and shocked with a defibrillator.
Eriksen is now recovering in hospital and provided a positive update reassuring fans that he ‘is fine under the circumstances.’
His collapse left the footballing world in shock including BBC pundit Rio Ferdinand who spoke of his emotions seeing Eriksen fighting for his life. 
Speaking on his Vibe With Five Youtube show, he said: “I don’t think he plays again, I’ve got to be honest.
“If I’m him I’m not thinking about that probably, I’d just want to be healthy for the sake of my family really.”
Read more
RICE: WEST HAM FORM GAVE ME FULL CONFIDENCE
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has said that his fine form has given him full confidence for Euro 2020.
He said: “I did see the comments before the game (Croatia) and of course you don’t want to talk too much.
“You want to just go out on the field and show what you can do. I thought our gameplan was excellent.
“We – me, Mase [Mount] and Kalv [Phillips] – have been working on our distances and Mase and Kalv pressing and me sitting just behind them and allowing them to express themselves and having the freedom to do what they want and I think it worked really well on Sunday.”
Rice has taken confidence from his strong performance on Sunday in the win against Croatia.
He continued: “We knew we had to be at the top level and if I’d have had asked myself two years ago to go out there and perform at a high standard, of course I’d have gone out there and done it but maybe I’d have had some doubts.
“But on Sunday, in my mind, after the season I’ve had with West Ham and the performances I’ve had with England recently I had full confidence before the game that I could go out there and perform to a high standard and I think everyone did that.”
GREALISH NOT TRAINING
Jack Grealish is not part of training with the rest of the England team today.
According to Sky Sports, Grealish is in the gym doing some work on his own – but it is unknown whether it is injury related.
Dean Henderson dropped out of the squad not long ago, hopefully Southgate isn’t handed another injury worry.
BREAKING: HEND OF THE ROAD
Dean Henderson has been forced to WITHDRAW from England’s Euro 2020 squad with a hip injury.
Sheffield United stopper Aaron Ramsdale has been called-up as his replacement.
Henderson, 24, has returned to Manchester United after picking up a hip injury in training, with his Euros campaign over.
The Old Trafford stopper had been on the bench for the 1-0 win over Croatia.

FRANCE TEAM GUIDE
France are the firm favourites to win this summer’s Euros, and they have the likes of Mbappe, Griezmann, Pogba and Kante to pull it off.
The French lost on home soil back in 2016 to Portugal in the final – a shock defeat.
Now, five years on and a World Cup under their belt from 2018, they’ll look to add a European Championship to the collection.

GOOD LUCK, LENO
Arsenal wish their No1 goalkeeper good luck ahead of Germany’s group stage opener against France tonight.

SHOULD NEV-ER HAPPEN
 Gary Neville has blasted the decision to allow full crowds into the Wimbledon finals this summer.
The Manchester United legend let rip on Twitter after the plans were announced despite Boris Johnson’s decision to delay ‘Freedom Day’ until July 19.
Wembley will host half capacity 45,000 crowds for FOUR Euro 2020 games.
Euro matches have been officially declared Covid-19 vaccine ‘pilot events’.
This means fans who’ve been double jabbed for more than two weeks will be allowed to attend, along with un-vaccinated supporters who can show they’ve tested negative.
Wimbledon’s men’s and women’s finals at Centre Court could also be played at maximum capacity under the trial.
They would be the first events in 15 months to be packed to the rafters. 
And the government is also in talks with F1 bosses at Silverstone about hosting next month’s British Grand Prix in front of a capacity 140,000 crowd.
But well-liked pundit Neville was furious when the news was announced.
The 46-year-old, referencing the latest advice to wedding attendees, tweeted: “Can’t dance at a wedding but can stuff strawberries and champagne down your neck at The All England Club packed with tens of thousands crammed like sardines in a tin.”
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GASCOIGNE BLONDE
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka surprised his wife with his new hairstyle, and he shared her reaction to Instagram.
The midfielder is currently away on international duty with Switzerland. 
And his new hairdo will make its debut when Switzerland takes on Italy tomorrow night.

REDKNAPP ON TAKING THE KNEE
Former footballer and manager Harry Redknapp stands against all forms of racism.
But questions how long players will continue to take the knee.
Redknapp says he was ‘all for it early on’ but ‘now maybe we have to look somewhere else’.
Speaking to GB News, he said: “I don’t know how much longer we go with it (taking the knee).
“Anything that can eradicate racism out of sport I’m all for it, but…. I don’t know really, I hate it when there’s people booing it.
“It’s not a good way to start a football match or anything really, it shouldn’t happen.
“I think that’s totally wrong that they (fans) do that.
“I’ve been all for it early on, but maybe now we have to look somewhere else, and…. I don’t know how long we’re going to keep doing it for – it can’t go on forever can it.”
Credit: GETTY IMAGES
HUNGARY TEAM GUIDE
Hungary face European champions Portugal today at 5pm, and they’re without key man Dominik Szoboszlai.

PAU-ER PLAY
Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof won the man-of-the-match award after Sweden’s 0-0 draw against Spain.
The 26-year-old shone as his side held on for a draw in their Euro 2020 opener against a Spanish side including United defensive target Pau Torres who could replace Lindelof in the Red Devils’ starting XI.
Posting a picture of Lindelof with his star-of-the-match trophy after the game, the official Euro 2020 Twitter account wrote: “Excelled in the air, organised his defence and brought calm to proceedings.”
Many in the comments argued Sweden’s keeper Robin Olsen should have been given the award after making several key saves.
But Lindelof – who often gets stick from United fans – played very well as his country picked up a well earned point from arguably their toughest Group E fixture.
Read more
HUNGARY FOR SUCCESS 
A group of death and an injury to their best player before the tournament – Hungary are up against it at Euro 2020.
Marco Rossi’s underdog side will be without star man Dominik Szoboszlai when his team plays three semi-finalists from Euro 2016 in Group F.
According to transfermarket, the value of Hungary’s expected first XI for the tournament is a measly £47.5million.
The central European side still have a few notable names in Szoboszlai’s absence including his RB Leipzig team-mate Peter Gulacsi.
But the rest are made up of players from teams in the Hungarian league, the Slovakian first division and even Bristol City in the Championship.
And it is those men that will be tasked with competing against the £1.2BILLION worth of superstars at France, Germany and Portugal.
Read more
PORTUGAL TEAM GUIDE
Portugal are one of the favourites to win this summer’s Euros.

SMILE!
Christian Eriksen has shared a photo from his hospital bed on Instagram.
And the Danish midfielder appears to be in good spirits, which is fantastic to see!
He captioned the post: “Hello everyone.
“Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world. 
“It means a lot to me and my family. ♥️🙏
“I’m fine – under the circumstances. I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel okay.
“Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches. Play for all of Denmark 🇩🇰. Best, Christian.”

HOLY SCHICK
Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick scored goal of the tournament so far yesterday.
And it’s hard to see how his halfway line strike can be topped…… maybe an Alisson-esque goal?
Ohhhhhhhhhh Schick😱🤪 I guess we have already the goal of the tournament ⚽🏆👏🏼 #EURO2020— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) June 14, 2021

TODAY’S GAMES
There are two games to be played today and the focus is firmly on the ‘Group of death’, Group F.
Hungary take on defending champions Portugal in Budapest, with kick-off expected at 5pm.
And France take on Germany at the Allianz Arena, Germany at 8pm.
The expectation is that three teams will go through from this group, with one of France, Germany, or Portugal qualifying for the knockout stages as one of the best 3rd place teams.
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SPAIN and Sweden played out a goalless draw in a game full of changes.La Roja set a record for most first half passes in the history of the European Championship but were unable to find a way through.
And they could even have found themselves behind.
First Alexander Isak hit the post and then he did brilliant work to set up Marcus Berg, who put a tap-in wide.
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
Spain dominated the game, and showed their class on the ball – but they couldn’t translate the high possession into goals.
And Sweden arguably had the best chances of the game through Isak and Berg.
Slovakia top the group for now, with Spain and Sweden two points behind.
Spain face Poland on Saturday, June 19 with kick-off scheduled for 8pm.
And Sweden take on group leaders Slovakia on Friday, June 18 with the game due to get underway at 2pm.
Goodnight!
ISAK’S A STAR
Isak started the move, before laying the ball on a plate for Berg at the back post.

FULL-TIME STATS
Look at the possession and passes completed!

FT: SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
Sweden hold three-time winners Spain to a draw in Seville!
The Spaniards had 85 per cent of the ball throughout the whole 90 minutes, but couldn’t score.
Sweden, in fact, had the best chance of the game.
Isak, surrounded by three Spanish players, showed his quick feet to find a yard and deliver a low cross towards the far post.
But an unmarked Berg sliced the huge opportunity wide. Not the best of starts for Spain at Euro 2020.
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
THE FULL-TIME WHISTLE GOES IN SEVILLE!
SWEDEN HOLD ON FOR A DRAW!
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
90+5. Moreno heads wide of the post.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
90+4. Oyarzabal wins Spain a late corner.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
90+2. CHANCE!
Pedri clips the ball in behind Sweden’s backline for Alba to run onto.
The left-back gets to the byline again and delivers a great cross towards the far post.
Sarabia doesn’t read the situation well, and the ball bounces off his knee and into the arms of Olsen!
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
90. BIG SAVE!
Sarabia cuts inside off the right flank and floats a cross into Sweden’s penalty area.
Moreno meets the cross unmarked, but he is denied by the legs of Everton’s Olsen!
Should score.
The fourth official holds his board up and there will be six, yes six additional minutes played.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
89. Alba is wonderfully picked out running down the left channel.
And the Spain captain manages to get to the byline and deliver a low cross towards the near post.
Moreno flicks the ball towards goal, but it deflects off the leg of Danielsson and goes behind the goal.
The linesman has his flag up for offside, but the replay says otherwise – Spain should have had a corner-kick.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
87. SUBSTITUTION!
Pena, otherwise known as Fabian, who plays for Napoli is on for Koke in the midfield.
Defensive man on for a creative player in Koke.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
85. Incredibly resilient display from Sweden, they thoroughly deserve the point IF they get it!
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
83. DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION!
Olsson is taken off for Cajuste, and Bengtsson is on for Forsberg who has been largely anonymous.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
81. Alba plays a quick ball into the path of Oyarzabal inside Sweden’s penalty area.
The Real Sociedad winger shows a good burst of pace to get to the byline and drill a low cross into the six-yard box.
But Danielsson thumps the danger clear.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
79. Swedish players are starting to pick up little knocks and cramp, but it’s not at all surprising – they’ve been chasing the ball for large parts of the game.
No20 Olsson is the latest victim as he lunged to intercept the ball.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
77. Sarabia cuts inside off the right-hand side and waives his wand of a left foot, sending a good cross right into the six-yard box.
Moreno almost gets on the end of it, but Olsen punches clear for Sweden.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
75 SUBSTITUTIONS!
Spain make a double substitution and Moreno finally comes on for Olmo in attack.
And Oyarzabal replaces Torres.
And for Sweden, Newcastle’s Krafth is on for Lustig who appears to have picked up an injury.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
73. BLOCK!
Llorente gets to the byline and cuts the ball back towards the edge of the penalty area.
Olmo takes a touch and sends a low strike towards goal, but Danielsson blocks!
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
71. You can see signs of Spanish frustration now. They’re conceding sloppy free-kicks.
Sweden do look happy with the draw, and it would be a massive, massive point if they can get it.
Berg misses at the back post, unmarkedCredit: GETTY IMAGES
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
69. Thiago wins Spain a free-kick in a promising position inside the opposition half.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
67. DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION!
Berg’s night comes to an end after his dreadful miss and he is replaced by Mainz’s Quaison
And arguably Sweden’s best player Isak is taken off for Claesson.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
66. Torres has temporarily moved up front for Spain, and he has an eye for goal.
But how long until we see a 20-goal-a-season striker in Moreno? He should be on!
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
64. DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION!
Liverpool’s Thiago and PSG’s Sarabia are on for Rodri and Morata.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
62. Enrique has seen enough, he has signalled for two or three players to go and warm-up down the touchline.
Moreno and Thiago are off down the line getting their legs warm.
SPAIN 0-0 SWEDEN
60. BIG CHANCE!
Isak starts a sweeping counter attack and receives the ball back on the edge of Spain’s penalty area.
The youngster is surrounded by three Spanish defenders and he skilfully gets away from them all.
He lays the ball on a plate at the back post and his strike-partner Berg fails to convert!
Fantastic counter-attacking play by Sweden!
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CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN is stable in hospital and reportedly joking with doctors after suffering cardiac arrest.Denmark’s game against Finland had to be stopped after Eriksen collapsed on the field just before half time, receiving CPR shortly afterwards.
The match between the Danes and Finns continued once both teams were aware Eriksen had woken up, with Finland running out 1-0 winners.
Follow all the latest with our live blog below…
BRAITHWAITE CONTINUED
Martin Braithwaite has revealed he is still feeling emotional following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.
He said: “I am still emotional about the situation.
“Most importantly Christian is feeling better and therefore I am feeling better too.
“His health is the most important thing of all. It was important for me personally to see that he felt better via video.
“I had some pictures in my head from last Saturday that I would like to get rid of.
“We were all about to lose a friend and a team-mate. It’s not something you normally think of on a football pitch. Joy and love are normal. No one can prepare for what happened.”
NOT A S-MART CHOICE
Denmark striker Martin Braithwaite has claimed that Denmark’s decision to play Finland following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest was the ‘least bad decision’.
He said: “None of the options were good. We took the least bad one. There were lots of players who were unable to play.
“We were in a bad place. We made the least bad decision.
“We were told we had to make a decision. That’s the only thing I can say. I wished there was a third option. Because I did not want to go out again.
“But Uefa said there were two options. We made a decision because we knew we would not be able to sleep that night.”
BLIND FAITH
Daley Blind considered withdrawing from Holland’s Euro 2020 opener after seeing his former Ajax team-mate and friend Christian Eriksen collapse after suffering a cardiac arrest on Saturday.
The former Manchester United star has been fitted with an implanted defibrillator after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation.
Blind left the pitch in tears following Holland’s 3-2 win over Ukraine on Sunday.
He told Dutch broadcaster NOS: “Yesterday had a huge impact on me. Besides the fact that I know Christian well as a friend, the situation for him is terrible.
“Of course I have also experienced a few things in that area, so that I had to overcome a mental hurdle to play.
“I had a lot of trouble with it, but I’m proud that I did it. Then all the emotion comes out for a while.
“I’ve definitely thought about not taking part. The images and the moment had a lot of impact and I didn’t sleep very well because of them. I really had to overcome a big hurdle to do this.”
CARDIAC ARREST EXPLAINED
What is a cardiac arrest?
Find out what happened to Christian Eriksen below.
Christian Eriksen’s life was saved by the fast reactions of team-mates and medics
ERIKSEN TIMELINE
The world held its breath after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch
FAB’S FEARS
Fabrice Muamba begged ‘please, this is not going to happen again’ as he watched Christian Eriksen collapse.
He told GMB: “I was just hoping that the guy can pull through. Christian is a fantastic footballer.
“Aged 29, the guy still has a couple of years left in him to play at the highest level.
“He’s finishing a good season with Inter Milan and to play at a tournament in his home country was the perfect opportunity.
“To watch it and see this happen to a fellow professional player, you are saying, ‘Please, this is not going to happen again.’”
CAPTAIN KJAER
AC Milan are considering making Denmark hero Simon Kjaer their captain, according to reports.
The Dane stopped Christian Eriksen from swallowing his tongue before performing CPR on his stricken team-mate on Saturday.
And the Italian giants are thinking about making him their permanent skipper as a result, according to Sportsmediaset.
Milan legend – and the club’s technical director – Paolo Maldini is said to support the move.
And Kjaer also has the fans’ backing with some supporters even starting a social media campaign to get him the armband, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

MORE FROM SCHMEICHEL
Asked about his own recollection of the harrowing situation, the Foxes stopper added: “It’s a violent experience.
“But he is here today, and I am very grateful for that. The only heroes there are are the doctors who saved him.
“We are professional football players, but these people dedicate their lives to saving people. That they could do it under that pressure.
“I cannot describe how much admiration I have for them. That they could bring him back is a miracle.
“I even think about how I would have my team-mates react if I was lying there. And then we have some amazing people on this team. A captain and a coach who knows how to act.
“It characterises us as a team and country that we stand together until the very end.
“Personally, I tried to imagine if it was me who was lying there. I knew Christian’s wife, children, and parents were there, so at one point I tried to look for them.
“It is an inhuman situation for them to go through.”
‘WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE’
Kasper Schmeichel said it was ‘damn nice’ to see Christian Eriksen laughing and smiling in hospital after his cardiac arrest.
The 34-year-old said: “It was damn nice to see him smile and laugh and be himself. Just notice that he is there.
“It was a wonderful experience and something that has helped me see that he was okay after lying there.
“We talked about nothing and everything. As long as he is well – that has been the most important thing. He has experienced something that we have not experienced.
“He has a completely different experience of the situation. It was great to talk to him, and now we have a lot of work to try to navigate.”

NO JAB
Inter Milan have been forced to deny rumours Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest was related to the Covid vaccine.
Inter director Giuseppe Marotta said: “He didn’t have Covid and wasn’t vaccinated either. At this moment, Eriksen is under the guidance of the Danish medical staff.
“It is right that they release information, but I can say the Inter medical staff have been in contact with them from the start.
“The players are very close and we all immediately communicated with each other after seeing those images. We didn’t want to be invasive and so tried to respect his convalescence once we had been reassured.”

ICYMI
Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand has blasted Uefa for giving his players a ‘tough choice’ after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch on Saturday.
He said: “I think it was the wrong thing to make the decision between the two scenarios in this case.
“The players didn’t know if they lost their best friend and they had to decide [whether to play].
“I have a feeling we shouldn’t have played, to just get on the bus and go home and see what the next days brought.
“It was a tough message that the players had to try and make a decision. I have a sense that it was wrong the players were put in this situation.
“I am really proud to be the coach of a team that responded the way they did. Football showed its best face. Team spirit, compassion and love is what football is really about.”
ERIKSEN’S AGENT SPEAKS
Christian Eriksen’s friend and agent Martin Schoots said, as reported by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport: “We spoke this morning [Sunday].
“He joked, he was in a good mood, I found him fine. We all want to understand what happened to him, he wants to do it too: the doctors are carrying out in-depth examinations, it will take time.
“He was happy because he understood how much love is around. Messages have reached him from all over the world.
“And he was particularly impressed by those of the Inter world: not only the team-mates he heard through the chat, but also the fans.
“Christian doesn’t give up. He and his family want to send their thanks to everyone.
“Half the world has contacted us, everyone was worried.
“Now he just has to rest, with him are his wife and parents. Also tomorrow [Monday] he will remain under observation, perhaps even on Tuesday.
“But in any case he wants to cheer on his team-mates against Belgium.”
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Kasper Schmeichel reassured Christian Eriksen’s wife Sabrina Kvist Jensen that her husband was alive as he supported her on the side of the pitch.
Schmeichel’s dad Peter told BBC Radio 5 Live: “That would be the worst two hours in my time in football. We had absolutely no information but we could see it was very, very serious.
“You look at the reaction of the players and it happened not very far from all the wives of the players and, of course, Christian’s wife would have seen that.
“She came on to the pitch and you could see from the reaction of the players; I saw my son Kasper run over to her, and I spoke to him last night.
“He said that Christian is breathing. She actually thought that he’d passed away, and just to confirm that (he was breathing) he went back to be absolutely sure that he wasn’t saying anything that was out of order.
“By then Christian was talking to the doctor and we could see there was a little bit of calm there, but until it was confirmed it was really terrible to watch it all and to understand why a fit, 29-year-old player at this level and how it can happen like that.
“And having a son there, straight away you relate that to yourself.”

ON THE BOX
The television boss in charge of Denmark vs Finland has defended the coverage of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.
He insisted it was ‘necessary to show distress’ but also outlined the steps taken to protect the player and those involved.
TV director Jean-Jacques Amsellem said there was ‘no handbook for these incidents’.
He told L’Equipe: “There was a slow-motion of the scene where we can see him fall really clearly, but I immediately forced my teams not to focus on him, not to film him anymore.
“During all the live coverage that followed, I did at one moment show Danes in tears because it was still necessary to show the distress.
“We also saw the emotions of the Finns and the crowd but I don’t think we did anything mawkish or creepy.”

BEEB BLAST
The BBC has launched a review into the “staggering decision” to show harrowing footage of stricken Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch.
Inter Milan star Eriksen was given CPR on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland on Saturday.
His teammates formed a protective wall around him but viewers were left horrified of the BBC’s distressing footage of his treatment.
The broadcaster quickly tried pinning the blame on Uefa and apologised for anyone “upset” by the footage.
But Uefa responded by saying several broadcasters across Europe managed to cut back to their studios to protect viewers.
The BBC has now launched a probe into whether the match director made the right call in not stopping filming soon enough, The Times reports.
Insiders are now questioning the “staggering decision” to continue broadcasting, the paper says.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
Christain Eriksen had his life saved thanks to the incredible work of Denmark medics, Uefa doctors, hospital staff and team-mate Simon Kjaer.
The Danish star, 29, was close to being ‘gone’ according to one doc – but was saved by two hero brothers, Morten and Anders Boesen.
The Boesen brothers both work for Copenhagen, with Morten the team doctor for both club and country having first taken on the role at the Danish Superliga side in 2004.
He started working with Denmark’s national squad in 2019.
Anders works for Copenhagen’s academy and is also a qualified doctor.
While not officially working with Denmark, he was named Uefa’s independent stadium doctor for the clash with Finland with the game taking place at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium.
As such, the brothers – who are more used to ‘fixing knees than savings lives’, a source told The Athletic – were first on the scene to save Eriksen.

DANISH DILEMMA
UEFA threatened Denmark with a 3-0 loss if they failed to complete their match with Finland, Peter Schmeichel revealed.
Their match was stopped just before half-time when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch.
He told GMB: “They said the players insisted on playing. I know that not to be the truth. Or that’s how you see the truth.
“They were left with three options. One was to play immediately and get the last 50 minutes played.
“The next one was to come in yesterday at 12 noon and finish the 50 minutes.
“And the third option was to forfeit the game and lose 3-0.
“So, you know, work it out for yourself. Is it the players’ wish to play? Did they have any choice really? I don’t think they had.
“And as you can hear from yesterday’s press conference, the coach seriously regrets putting the players back on the pitch.”
ERIKSEN SPEAKS
Christian Eriksen has spoken for the first time since his cardiac arrest on Saturday.
The 29-year-old said he feels better but wants to ‘understand what happened’.
He sent a brief message to the public in quotes reported by Italian outlet Gazzaetta dello Sport.
Eriksen said: “Thank you all, I won’t give up. I feel better now but I want to understand what happened.
“I want to say thank you for all you did for me.”

DE BOER ON ERIKSEN
The Dutch manager said: “For me it was very difficult to see those images yesterday. We saw the game live and I had to leave the room.
“I’ve worked for five years with Christian Eriksen and as well there are some players in my team who are in contact with him or are still playing with or who had a good bond with him when he played for Ajax so it was a rollercoaster last night.
“We had a meeting scheduled last night to talk about our tactical gameplay but we rescheduled it for the morning because I didn’t want to speak about football so we did that this morning and everybody could find his own moment and have his own space.
“Daley was quite emotion as well. He had some problems with his own heart as you know and even now Christian Eriksen is one of his best friends so when you’re both at the tournament they have fought for it.
“So there is a lot of emotions going through him so it definitely was not easy for us, for him especially.
“We hear good news coming from Denmark so let’s hope that things will get well for him and now we need to continue and focus on the most important thing next to the normal, [most] important thing [that is] life, which is football. That’s what we did today.”
MORE FROM BLIND
The Netherlands players were together watching the Denmark v Finland clash on Saturday and Blind said: “We were with a number of guys who also experienced Abdelhak Nouri [who was left with permanent brain damage after collapsing during a pre-season friendly while at Ajax] and also with teammates of Christian.
“It has so much impact. It is very recognisable to me and that made it intense. Also for my family. My parents, my wife.”
Blind added: “Leave him alone. Don’t speculate about his future. Give him time and space to recover. If it didn’t go well, it would start haunting your head even more.
“He now even encourages his teammates to play. That’s why I decided to play myself. Also because I’m safe according to the doctors.”
BLIND FAITH
Daley Blind considered withdrawing from Holland’s Euro 2020 opener after seeing his former Ajax team-mate and friend Christian Eriksen collapse after suffering a cardiac arrest on Saturday.
The former Manchester United star has been fitted with an implanted defibrillator after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation.
Blind left the pitch in tears following Holland’s 3-2 win over Ukraine on Sunday.
He told Dutch broadcaster NOS: “Yesterday had a huge impact on me. Besides the fact that I know Christian well as a friend, the situation for him is terrible.
“Of course I have also experienced a few things in that area, so that I had to overcome a mental hurdle to play.
“I had a lot of trouble with it, but I’m proud that I did it. Then all the emotion comes out for a while.
“I’ve definitely thought about not taking part. The images and the moment had a lot of impact and I didn’t sleep very well because of them. I really had to overcome a big hurdle to do this.”

MORNING FOOTBALL FANS
Christian Eriksen “was gone” before he was resuscitated on the pitch, Denmark’s team doctor has revealed.
Football has united in support for the Inter Milan midfielder, who is said to be “stable” after collapsing during Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Finland.
And doc Morten Boesen said: “He was gone. We did cardiac resuscitation, it was a cardiac arrest.
“How close were we to losing him? I don’t know, but we got him back after one defib [defibrillation] so that’s quite fast.
“The examinations that have been done so far look fine. We don’t have an explanation as to why it happened.”
Eriksen’s Denmark team-mates have received psychological help.
But manager Kasper Hjulmand criticised Uefa for asking his team if they wanted to resume the match.
He said: “I think it was the wrong thing to make the decision between the two scenarios in this case.
“The players didn’t know if they lost their best friend and they had to decide.
“I have a feeling we shouldn’t have played, to just get on the bus and go home and see what the next days brought.”
But Hjulmand also revealed that Eriksen told him: “I think you are feeling worse than I am. I feel as if I’m about to go training now, boys.”  
Meanwhile, ex-Bolton star Fabrice Muamba, who had to retire in 2012 after a similar horrifying experience, hailed the “brilliant” treatment Eriksen received.
Muamba added: “The most important thing and number one priority for us all is to give Christian and his family space and time to heal and recover.” 
HELP FOR DANISH PLAYERS
Christian Eriksen’s team-mates received psychological support following the Denmark superstar’s collapse i yesterday’s match against Finland.
The squad was able to speak to the midfielder once he recovered slightly in hospital, and it was Eriksen who encouraged them to resume the match.
Finland clapped their opponents back onto the field before beating them 1-0, but the result will probably not matter to the Danes after what happened to Eriksen.
And Denmark Sporting Director Peter Moller revealed the players got the chance to express their feelings after the match finished.
He said: “We had psychological help. We had four people come to our hotel last night. Everybody expressed their feelings and how they saw their situation.
“Everybody was really pleased that we talked the situation through. This morning we had the same people come to the hotel and players could express their feelings and thoughts with professional help.
“The conversation with Christian had a massive impact on the players.”
MUAMBA: GIVE ERIKSEN TIME
Fabrice Muamba says Christian Eriksen needs time and space to recover.
Danish star Eriksen, 29, is stable in hospital having suffered a cardiac arrest against Finland.
Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in Saturday’s game with Finland
The incident had haunting echoes of Muamba’s own fight for life after collapsing while playing for Bolton against Tottenham in 2012.
Muamba, forced to retire, tweeted: “This makes you realise how fragile life is and how quickly you can lose a loved one.
“Like everyone, I am relieved to hear Christian is in a stable condition and that he is doing ok.
“Credit of course must go to the brilliant medical staff who got to him so quickly and did an amazing job to make sure he was ok.
“His team-mates who rallied around him also did a great job and should be really proud.
“The most important thing and number one priority for us all is to give Christian and his family space and time to heal and recover.”
KANE JOINS WELL-WISHERS
Christian Eriksen’s former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane was among big names to send messages of “love” and support for Christian Eriksen on social media.
And fans who were in the Copenhagen stadium where Eriksen collapsed gathered later outside Rigshospitalet to underline their feelings and support.

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POLAND get their Euro 2020 campaign underway against Slovakia in a Central European derby.Robert Lewandowski and co won their qualifying group and will hope for a repeat of their performance in 2016 when they got all the way to the quarter-final before going out on penalties to eventual winners Portugal.
Neighbours Slovakia meanwhile struggled in qualifying but progressed via the play-offs with a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland at Windsor Park.
Spain and Sweden are the other two teams in Group E.

TV channel: ITV1.
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Poland XI: Szczesny, Bereszynski, Glik, Bednarek, Rybus, Linetty, Krychowiak, Klich, Jozwiak, Lewnandowski, Zielinski.
Slovakia XI: Dubravka, Pekarik, Satka, Skriniar, Hubocan, Kucka, Hromada, Haraslin, Hamsik, Mak, Duda.

POLAND 0-0 SLOVAKIA
8 Poland stars Krychowiak and Lewandowski are obviously trying to play high up on the pitch.
The midfielder is throwing some good balls down the attacking half and the Bayern superstar is putting together some impressive runs
POLAND 0-0 SLOVAKIA
5 Poland are trying to impose their dominance with Lewandowski’s runs.
However, Sousa’s men will have to be especially careful not to give away too many set-pieces as Hamsik poses as a major threat
POLAND 0-0 SLOVAKIA
2 Another quick reminder:
Slovakia manager Stefan Tarkovic appears to have opted for a 4-2-3-1, that could turn into a 4-4-2, formation.
Martin Dubravka starts in goal with Peter Pekarik at right-back and Tomas Hubocan on the other side, while Milan Skriniar and Lubomir Satka team up at centre-back.
Juraj Kucka and Jakub Hromada team up in midfield with captain Marek Hamsik at No10, but could also play as a second striker.
Lukas Haraslin and Robert Mak cover the wings whereas Ondrej Duda leads the attack
POLAND 0-0 SLOVAKIA
1 Just a quick reminder:
Poland manager Paulo Sousa appears to have opted for a 4-3-3 formation for today’s match against Slovakia.
Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal with Bartosz Bereszynski at right-back and Maciej Rybus on the other side, while Kamil Glik and Jan Bednarek team up at centre-back.
Karol Linetty, Mateusz Klich and Grzegorz Krychowiak link up in midfield.
Kamil Jozwiak, Piotr Zielinski and captain Robert Lewandowski lead the attack
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
AND OFF WE GO IN SAINT PETERSBURG!!!!!!!
HERE COME THE TEAMS!!!
The Saint Petersburg Stadium is set to host the Euro 2020 clash between Poland and Slovakia.
Captain Robert Lewandowski leads his national team to the pitch and Marek Hamsik dons his country’s armband.
Quite a few fans on the stands, so there will also be some atmosphere.
Not long to go now…!
GETTY IMAGES
LEAVING A MAREK
Trabzonspor signing Marek Hamsik poses as Slovakia’s biggest star ahead of their Euro 2020 kick-off match against Poland.
Hamsik is the Falcons’ record scorer with 26 goals in 124 appearances, which also makes him his country’s most capped player of all time.
The midfielder rose to prominence during his 12-year stint at Napoli where he amassed a whopping 121 goals and 100 assists in 520 matches across all competitions.
The 33-year-old registered one goal in six appearances for Goteborg and is now set to join Trabzonspor in July
GETTY IMAGES
PAUL-ING TOGETHER
Paulo Sousa took over as Poland’s manager in January replacing Jerzy Brzęczek, who had been dismissed despite achieving qualification for Euro 2020.
Sousa has been experiencing a rough start at the Eagles’ helm as he has only won one of his first five matches in charge.
Poland beat Andorra 3-0 under the Portuguese legend and also lost to England; both matches took place in March.
Sousa experienced tremendous success as a player as he won two successive Champions League titles with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund
GETTY IMAGES
LEWAN-GOAL-SKI
Robert Lewandowski enjoyed another stunning season with Bayern Munich and topped the goalscoring charts once more.
Lewandowski registered a staggering 41 goals and seven assists in 29 league matches and finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer.
The star striker also recorded a total of 48 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions this past campaign.
And of course, the 32-year-old is Poland’ record goalscorer with 66 goals in 118 games, which also makes him his nation’s most capped player
GETTY IMAGES
SLOVAKIA FORMATION
Slovakia manager Stefan Tarkovic appears to have opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Martin Dubravka starts in goal with Peter Pekarik at right-back and Tomas Hubocan on the other side, while Milan Skriniar and Lubomir Satka team up at centre-back.
Juraj Kucka and Jakub Hromada team up in midfield with captain Marek Hamsik at No10.
Lukas Haraslin and Robert Mak cover the wings whereas Ondrej Duda leads the attack
POLAND FORMATION
Poland manager Paulo Sousa appears to have opted for a 4-3-3 formation for today’s match against Slovakia.
Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal with Bartosz Bereszynski at right-back and Maciej Rybus on the other side, while Kamil Glik and Jan Bednarek team up at centre-back.
Karol Linetty, Mateusz Klich and Grzegorz Krychowiak link up in midfield.
Kamil Jozwiak, Piotr Zielinski and captain Robert Lewandowski lead the attack
SLOVAKIA BENCH
3 Vavro, 6 Gregus, 7 Weiss, 10 Suslov, 11 Benes, 12 Kuciak, 13 Hrosovsky, 16 Hancko, 21 Duris, 22 Lobotka, 23 Rodak, 24 Koscelnik
POLAND BENCH
3 Dawidowicz, 4 Kedziora, 6 Kozlowski, 11 Swiderski, 12 Skorupski, 16 Moder, 17 Placheta, 19 Frankowski, 22 Fabianski, 24 Swierczok, 25 Helik, 26 Puchacz
SLOVAKIA XI
1 Dubravka, 2 Pekarik, 5 Satka, 14 Skriniar, 15 Hubocan, 19 Kucka, 25 Hromada, 18 Haraslin, 17 Hamsik, 20 Mak, 8 Duda
POLAND XI
1 Szczesny, 18 Bereszynski, 15 Glik, 5 Bednarek, 13 Rybus, 8 Linetty, 10 Krychowiak, 14 Klich, 21 Jozwiak, 9 Lewandowski, 20 Zielinski
THE TEAM SHEETS ARE IN!!!
SLOVAKIA STATS
Slovakia made it to Euro 2020 after beating Northern Ireland in their play-off final in November 2020.
The Falcons, though, struggled in the Nations League as they finished at the bottom of their League B group below the Czech Republic, Scotland and Israel with one win and four losses out of six matches.
Their recent form hasn’t been stellar either as they have only won one out of their last six matches – their most recent victory took place in March against Russia whom they beat 2-1.
Stefan Tarkovic’s men also count one loss during that same period of time but have been undefeated in their last five outings across all competitions
Credit: Reuters
POLAND STATS
Poland qualified for Euro 2020 after topping Group G where they bested Austria and eliminated North Macedonia, Slovenia, Israel and Latvia – the Eagles won eight out of 10 matches and only lost once.
The hosts didn’t have the same success in the Nations League as they finished third in their League A group below Italy and the Netherlands with only two wins in six matches, of which they lost three times.
Poland’s recent track record hasn’t been stellar either as they’ve only won one out of their last six games across all competitions, which took place last March against Andorra.
The White and Reds also count two losses during that same period of time ahead of their Euro 2020 opener
Credit: Getty
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Poland and Slovakia’s first ever meeting, ever since the latter’s independence, took place in 2007 during an international friendly in Spain that ended 2-2.
Since then, the two sides have faced off a total of five times with the Slovakians winning a majority of three matches, compared to the Poles’ one and only victory.
Poland defeated their Group E opponents for the first time in 2012 during an international friendly in Austria thanks to Damien Perquis’ winner.
However, Slovakia won their most recent encounter away in 2013, in another friendly game, with a score of 2-0
Credit: Getty
GOOD AFTERNOON FROM SAINT PETERSBURG
Welcome to our live coverage of the Euro 2020 group stage match between Poland and Slovakia at the Saint Petersburg Stadium.
This marks the first match of Group E where both competitors have also been drawn with Spain as well as Sweden, who play later on tonight.
Poland manager Paulo Sousa suffered an injury crisis in the build-up to this summer’s delayed competition as he lost Crotone loanee Arkadiusz Reca, Derby defender Krystian Bielik and Hertha Berlin star Krzysztof Piatek to injury.
Napoli star Arkadiusz Milik, who spent the season on loan at Marseille and made the Euro 2020 squad, has also suffered a knee injury.
Southampton ace Jan Bednarek is also recovering from an ankle issue but is expected to be deemed fit for Poland’s kick-off match.
Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski is set to lead the attack, as expected, with the likes of Derby ace Kamil Jozwiak and PAOK’s Karol Swiderski fighting for a place next to the Bundesliga’s top scorer.
Slovakia manager Stefan Tarkovic, on the other hand, has been relatively free of any injury concerns as he will only be missing Slavia Prague forward Ivan Schranz due to a thigh injury.
Trabzonspor signing Marek Hamsik had been dealing with a calf issue but it was confirmed that the midfielder took part in full training without any problems
Credit: Getty
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