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EURO 2020 is in full swing!It’s time for Scotland today, who face Czech Republic in their first match at a major tournament since 1998.
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.
Follow all of the latest news, build up and updates below…
MARKO DENIAL
Austria’s Marko Arnautovic insists his crazy celebration was not a racist tirade against North Macedonians of Albanian heritage.
The ex-West Ham star, 32, reacted by screaming at Leeds’ Ezgjan Alioski, who is part-Albanian but chose to play for the country of his birth, North Macedonia.
Serbian newspaper Informer alleged that an angry Arnautovic blasted: “I f****d your Albanian mother.”
Many of the North Macedonian players are half-Albanian and Arnautovic apologised for his actions, but is adamant it was not a racial slur.
He said: “I am not a racist and will never be a racist. There was a battle of words in the emotion, from both sides. It doesn’t matter who it was about. (It) had nothing to do with politics at all.
“My friends, who have grown into my family, are from all over the world. To all those people who felt addressed: I’m sorry.”
The ex-West Ham striker talks to Leeds and North Macedonia star Ezgjan Alioski
HOLY SCHICK
Scotland’s return to the international big time ended in bitter frustration as Steve Clarke’s team were put to the sword by the bouncing Czechs.
Two goals from striker Patrik Schick – one an extraordinary lob from the halfway line – leaves the Scots bottom of Group D.
Now they will travel to Wembley on Friday knowing they must get something against England to stand any real chance of progressing to the knock-out stages for the first time in their history.
There was a major spanner in the works for Clarke’s plans when Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney was ruled out by ‘a little niggle’.
But that couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the first crowd in Scotland since lockdown was imposed 15 months ago.
Read more from SunSport’s match report HERE.
SCHICK STRIKE
Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick scored an ASTONISHING goal from the halfway line against Scotland at Euro 2020.
The 25-year-old Bayern Leverkusen netted his second of the match from just inside the Scotland half with a remarkable lob.

‘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.”

DEC-ISIVE CLASH
Declan Rice cannot wait to get cracking at Scotland – because he thinks it will be one of the biggest matches he ever plays in his career.
The 22-year-old said: “When you look back on your career at the end, the game on Friday will probably go down as one of the top three you will ever play.
“We know the history with Scotland. We know the type of game it will be.
“After tonight, we travelled back and had a laugh amongst the lads and enjoyed it. Then we want to focus on the Scotland game and repeat the same performance.”
BALCONY PLUNGE
Exclusive by Ben Hill: A Euro 2020 fan fell 20ft from Wembley’s upper tier onto concrete after ‘trying to fix a flag’ during England’s opening game of the tournament.
Horrified witnesses saw the fan fall just as the Euro 2020 game between England and Croatia kicked off at 2pm yesterday.

FLYING SCOTSMAN
Manchester United star Scott McTominay has been named in Scotland’s starting XI for their Euro 2020 opener.
The 24-year-old has featured in defence for his country but will line-up in his more favoured midfield role this afternoon.
Arsenal ace Kieran Tierney is missing from Scotland’s squad after picking up an injury in training last week.

KEANE ON THREE LIONS
Roy Keane revealed he was ‘impressed’ by England after their convincing 1-0 win over Croatia in their Euro 2020 curtain-raiser.
Speaking on ITV, Keane said: “The way they managed the game impressed me as much as anything.
“Their decision-making during the game in terms of possession and stretching their opponents.
“Then when they got a goal in front, they never looked like giving up the lead.
“It was a great sign for England going forward.”
DUTCH OF CLASS
This is the classy moment a humble Holland fan congratulated three jubilant Ukraine supporters after Andriy Yarmolenko scored a blinder for their team.
The West Ham winger curled a beauty into the top corner to make it 2-1 to the Dutch during their Euro 2020 opener and Ukrainian fans in the stadium went mad.
The Dutch fan giving a thumbs-up, then a handshake and a ‘fair play, that was a belter’ to the celebrating Ukraine fan after the Yarmolenko goal is my tournament highlight so far pic.twitter.com/JVnbnnUcH9— Scott Innes (@Flying_Inside) June 13, 2021

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.”
MCSAUCE
Andy Robertson listed Manchester United star Scott McTominay as the best dancer in the Scotland squad.

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.'”
WHYTE HOT
Exclusive by Gary Stonehouse: Derek Whyte cried when Scotland qualified for Euro 2020 – now he has urged Kieran Tierney and Co to have ‘no regrets’.
He said: “Every time Scotland get to a tournament it seems to end in a glorious failure.
“But I’m quietly confident this year. I really like Stevey Clarke and he has not got any superstars in his squad – but what he does have is plenty of players playing in the Premier League.
“That’s unusual from the last couple of years but as long as they do the country proud then that is all we are asking for.”
He added: “I just want them to give it everything, have no regrets and you just never know.
“Football is a funny old game and it might be a bit of brilliance or madness with someone getting sent-off against you in a game you are not expected to win.
“Just make sure when you do come home it’s with no regrets.”
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 EUROS FANS
England hero Raheem Sterling says sinking Croatia was like scoring in his back garden.
The Three Lions won a Euro opener for the first time in ten attempts – while Sterling defied his indifferent season for Manchester City with his first goal in a major finals.
The livewire striker, who topped the billing along with all-round midfield star Kalvin Phillips, said: “It’s a great feeling for me, playing at Wembley, it’s not far from where I grew up and seeing the stadium being built.“I’ve always said if I played at Wembley at a major tournament then I’m scoring, at Wembley, my back garden, I have to score. It’s great to finally do that.”It’s great to break the duck…We dug deep as a team and kept that clean sheet in the end as well.”  
And boss Gareth Southgate enthused:  “It’s a lovely day for the English public. 
“We’ve waited a long time for the beer gardens to open and I’m sure they’re throwing it everywhere as well as drinking it which is lovely.”
Now this afternoon Scotland aim to make it a full house of unbeaten Euro 2020 openers for Britain, Wales having drawn with Switzerland on Saturday.
The Scots face the Czech Republic at 2pm, ahead of Poland meeting Slovakia and fancied Spain taking on Sweden.
In yesterday’s other action, Holland beat Ukraine 3-2, the previously-wasteful Denzel Dumfries heading  a late winner after his Dutch side surrendered a 2-0 lead.
And subs Marko Arnautovic and Michael Gregoritsch struck late on to give Austria their first ever Euro finals win, 3-1 over tournament debutants North Macedonia. 
LION HEARTS TESTED
EXCLUSIVE: England stars all had cardiac screening tests to reduce the risk of the ­horror collapse which felled Christian Eriksen, it was revealed yesterday.
The FA ordered thorough heart checks on the football aces leading the charge towards Euro 2020 glory.
They would not be allowed to play unless they had passed specialist electrocardiogram tests, checking for ­abnormalities, within the last year.
The players also had to have a detailed echocardiogram ultrasound scan within the last two years.
FA sources said it is now ­policy to regularly monitor England’s top men’s senior stars — and also England players across every age group.
STERLING HAILS HIS ‘BACK GARDEN’ WINNER
Raheem Sterling broke his and England’s Euro finals hoodoo with the winning goal in his “back garden”.
Sterling, who grew up in Brent just down the road from Wembley, scored for the first time at a major international competition to give the Three Lions their first win in a opening Euros game – at the 10th attempt.
The Manchester City winger, who has a tattoo of the Wembley Arch on his left forearm, said: “It’s a great feeling for me, playing at Wembley, it’s not far from where I grew up and seeing the stadium being built.
“I’ve always said if I played at Wembley at a major tournament then I’m scoring, at Wembley, my back garden, I have to score. It’s great to finally do that.
“It’s great to break the duck. Today was a great team effort. We dug deep as a team and kept that clean sheet in the end as well.”
NEV: SOUTHGATE IS LIONS’ BEST ASSET
Ex-England assistant manager and Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes current boss Gareth Southgate is the team’s biggest asset at Euro 2020.
The national side began their tournament well with a 1-0 win against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia at Wembley.
Speaking during punditry on ITV, Neville said: “I think we’ve got an outstanding international manager who’s got unbelievable experience.
“I thought he managed that game unbelievably today. You talk about who the best player was, it might be Kalvin Phillips or Raheem Sterling but our biggest asset is our manager.
“The clamour in the past would have been to for Grealish and he didn’t even bring him off the bench.
“So, he’s willing to make the unpopular decisions, ones that some of us ultimately – at times – don’t think he should make because he knows that group better than anyone.
“He’s had seven or eight tournaments now, as a coach now, with the U21s, as a player.
“He’s vastly experienced and I feel really comfortable with him there – as an England fan – and what he did today was really good.”
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.

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.”
DALOT IN FOR COVID VICTIM CANCELO
Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot has been called up to Portugal’s Euro 2020 squad.
Man Utd full-back Diogo Dalot has been called up to Portugal’s Euro 2020 squad
The 22-year-old has replaced Manchester City star Joao Cancelo who had to pull out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Dalot is United’s 12th representative at the tournament. He got the call after impressing for Portugal’s Under-21s recently.
They lost to Germany in the Under-21s Euros final earlier this month with Dalot starring as they reached the final.
Dalot – who spent last season on loan at AC Milan – joins up with United team-mate Bruno Fernandes after the Portuguese FA confirmed Cancelo would miss out.
The squad have travelled to Budapest ahead of their Group F opener against Hungary on Tuesday.
And Cancelo is the only member of the 26-player group to return a positive test.
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SCOTLAND’S return to tournament football has not gone to plan as Patrik Schick has delivered a one-man masterclass.The Czech forward headed home to put his side in front in the first half at Hampden.
And then after the break he netted the goal of the tournament so far, lobbing David Marshall from the halfway line.
Follow ALL of the latest updates below..
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
Scotland’s Euro 2020 campaign begins in a loss but there are still reasons to be cheerful with a Friday fixture against England to come.
It may be a defeat in the opening game but it’s certainly not Czech mate yet.
.Credit: Reuters
ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO
Scotland still have two games left to play in Group D and have every chance of qualifying for the round of 16.
In the current tournament format, four of the best third-placed teams will also qualify for the knock-out round, so it’s all still to play for…

CLARKE REACTION
Scotland boss Steve Clarke felt his side were unlucky not to take something from the match.
He told the BBC: “It was quite an even game. I don’t think there was much in it. They were a bit more clinical with their chances.
“Moments went against us and when chances came our way, we didn’t quite take them. It’s a good learning experience.
“I thought we played decent, we could have been a bit braver on the ball first half.
“We didn’t work enough to get behind them, that’s why I brought Che [Adams] on for the second half.
“I’m hopeful [Kieran Tierney will be fit for Friday] but I wouldn’t be getting over excited about it. He’s been an integral part of how we’ve played recently.
“By and large we played well, take away the set-play and the wonder strike from their striker.
It was a big effort today. We’ll lick our wounds for 24 hours and then we’ll prepare for Friday.”
.Credit: The Sun
SCHICK’S SWAGGER
The Czech Republic’s two-goal hero Patrik Schick’s was unsurprisingly delighted after his brilliant brace defeated Scotland.
He told the BBC: “The first game is really important. We’re so happy we won this game.
“It’s always hard to play against us as we have a lot of hard-working players.
“Scotland was a tough opponent, and we were ready for their tactics.
“[For the second goal] I checked in the first half when the situation might come. I knew he stayed high. When the ball came, I saw where he was standing.
“Croatia are a strong opponent, and we expect a game that will be a little bit different.”
.Credit: pixel8000
ROBBO: THEY WERE CLINICAL
Andy Robertson gave an honest assessment of Scotland’s display in the defeat to the Czech Republic.
The Scotland skipper told the BBC: “The whole country wanted to get off to a good start. We were confident.
“At the highest level, you have to take your chances. The Czech Republic did that, we didn’t, and that’s why we’re on the wrong end of a result.
“For the first one, we shouldn’t concede. It’s a good header but we’ve got to be a wee bit stronger and braver.
“We started the second half well, we hit the bar. The boy’s in his own half and it’s a one in a million shot. It knocked the stuffing out of us.
“Going forward, we need to be more clinical.”
.Credit: The Sun
REALITY CZECH?
Despite the defeat, Scotland’s Stuart Armstrong believed there were plenty of positives for his side to take from the game.
He told the BBC: “It was a difficult one. The game was very compact, there wasn’t much space. We played too many long balls for our liking in the first half and it was hard to break them down.
“We were disappointed with the first goal as it came from a set-piece, but they showed real quality for the second.
“We had chances, we tried to push, but we were missing a bit of luck and they were clinical.
“Jack Hendry’s hit the bar, the keeper’s made some good saves, these little things just didn’t go our way. At this level you have to be clinical.
“We need to learn from what happened, make a few little tweaks. There were some positives moments and we need to take that through to Friday.
“We won’t dwell on this, we’ll move forward quickly.
“We look forward to what is a very big occasion [against England]. The whole country will be behind us and we need to produce a performance to match.”
.Credit: SNS
IT’S NOT OVER YET
A disappointing start to Scotland’s Euro 2020 campaign, but there’s a long way to go. Stay tuned for post-match reaction.

ALL EYES ON WEMBLEY
A disappointing result for Scotland against Czech Republic has raised the stakes even higher for Friday’s clash against England, which is now a must-win game for Steve Clarke’s men.
Think you can predict the result? You could win our £500 cash prize!

FT: SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
Not the result Scotland wanted to start their first tournament in 23 years. There won’t be too much boogying tonight.
After Andrew Robertson had drawn a great stop from Tomas Vaclik, Patrik Schick put the Czechs in front with a firm header just before the break.
Jack Hendry hit the bar in the opening stages of the second half before one of the all-time great European Championship goals by Schick doubled his side’s advantage in the 52nd minute.
Picking the ball up on the halfway line, the striker let fly from fully 40 yards and saw his effort soar over the head of David Marshall and into the net.
Scotland knocked repeatedly on the door after that but couldn’t find a way past an inspired Vaclik.
But if Steve Clarke’s men play like that on Friday, England will be in for a real game.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPTHE FINAL WHISTLE GOES

SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
Some snaps from today’s action…
.Credit: AFP
.Credit: AP
.Credit: Alamy
.Credit: AFP
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
84. Wonderful run by Forrest but his shot is eventually blocked and goes behind. Robertson’s corner sails straight into the arms of Vaclik.
.Credit: SNS
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
81. Chance for Schick to claim his hat-trick and put the game beyond doubt but Marshall stands tall to make the save.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
79. Another double switch for Scotland as James Forrest and Kevin Nisbet come on for Stephen O’Donnell and Lyndon Dykes.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
77. Another opportunity for Scotland. Cooper flicks on a cross and it drops to McTominay but he fires over on the half-volley.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
73. Kalas takes a whack to the face from a stray arm of Dykes as the pair contest a header. There’s a bit of blood and he’ll need treatment.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
67. Steve Clarke changes things up as Callum McGregor and Ryan Fraser replace Jack Hendry and Stuart Armstrong. Scott McTominay slots into the back three.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
66. Vaclik saves again, sticking out a foot to keep Dykes left-footed effort out.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
62. Another good save from Vaclik as he denies Dykes from close range. A goal for Scotland would change everything.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
61. Maybe it’s not going to be Scotland’s day. Armstrong makes a brilliant run and lets fly from the edge of the area. The shot takes a deflection but lands on the roof of the net. Some fans thought it was in.
SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
58. Here’s that goal in all its glory and you have to say it’s magnificent. Unbelievable vision.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Scotland are up against it now, but there’s still a while to go…

SCOTLAND 0-2 CZECH REPUBLIC
52. You have to give credit to Schick. That’s outrageous. He picks up the ball on the halfway line, goes for goal and sees it loop over Marshall and into the net. Now Scotland have a mountain to climb.

GOAL FOR CZECH REPUBLIC
SCOTLAND 0-1 CZECH REPUBLIC
49. Close again! Robertson’s ball over the top is turned towards his own net by Kalas but Vaclik claws it away.
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HOLLAND have beaten Ukraine in a thriller in Amsterdam.Georginio Wijnaldum netted a powerful effort at the start of the second half to put the Dutch ahead before Wout Weghorst doubled their Dutch lead.
But Andriy Yarmolenko curled in a screamer to give Ukraine hope before Roman Yaremchuk headed home an equaliser.
However, Denzel Dumfries then headed the decisive goal in the last ten minutes.
Before the game, Dutch fans paid tribute to Christian Eriksen at the Amsterdam ArenA – the stadium where he made his name with Ajax.
THAT’S ALL FOR TONIGHT!
What a day of football and the final game of the day provided the most entertainment.
Five goals in 45 minutes isn’t bad!
Plenty of footy still to come, including Scotland’s long awaited return to the European Championships tomorrow.
Poland take on Slovakia and Spain take on Sweden.
Goodnight!
AJAX FOLLOW ALONG
Ajax followed the game from minute one on their Twitter feed!

THROWBACK
The last player to score a later winning goal for the Netherlands at the EUROs was current manager Frank de Boer at EURO 2000 against Czech Republic.
GOALS HIGHLIGHTS
Best game of the tournament so far with some cracking goals, starting with Wijnaldum’s opener.
The 30-year-old pounced on Bushchan’s parry and passed the opener high and home.

Weghorst decided he wanted in on the action, and minutes after Wijnaldum’s opener, he doubled the Netherlands’ lead.
Smart finish from the big man.

Just when Ukraine looked down and out for the count, captain Yarmolenko waived his magic wand of a left foot.
And the West Ham man found the top-left corner with an emphatic finish.

Minutes later, Malinovskiy delivered a good free-kick into Holland’s penalty area, and Yaremchuk headed the equaliser home.
Game on at this point, and you could hear the tension and unrest in the crowd.

An unlikely goal source in Dumfries scored the winner to spare the Dutch’s blushes.
He got up well to meet Ake’s cross and his powerful header got the beating of Bushchan.

In conclusion, what a game of football!
FT: NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
Well, then. What a second half of international football!
Captain Wijnaldum took charge early on in the second half and latched onto the loose ball fumbled by Bushchan.
The 30-year-old placed the ball high into the back of the net to hand his team the lead.
Minutes later, Weghorst smashed the second past Bushchan to put the Netherlands in dreamland.
The game looked lost for Ukraine, until Yarmolenko decided he was going to cut inside and use his wand of a left foot.
The West Ham man cut inside and unleashed a powerful curing effort, picking out the top-left corner.
Malinovskiy stepped up and delivered a good free-kick into the box in the 79th minute.
And big man Yaremchuk managed to shake off his marker and head the equaliser home.
The crowd thought they were in for a nervy end to the game – but it was Dumfries who scored the winner.
Ake delivered a good cross towards the back post, and the right-back rose high to head the ball past Bushchan.
What a game!
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
THE FULL-TIME WHISTLE GOES IN AMSTERDAM!
NETHERLANDS AVOID A LATE SCARE!
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
90+4. It looks like the Ukrainian’s have run out of time.
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
90+2. YELLOW CARD!
Sydorchuk is booked late on for pulling down Sevilla’s De Jong.
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
90. Five additional minutes to be added on at the end of the second half.
The Dutch make one last change and prolific goal-scorer Malen comes on for Depay.
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
89. Zinchenko holds onto possession well deep inside the Netherlands’ half.
But as he goes to find Yarmolenko out wide on the right, he mis-places his pass and the ball goes out of play for a Dutch throw-in.
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
87. SUBSTITUTIONS!
Goal-scorer Weghorst and Timber make way for De Jong and Veltman.
NETHERLANDS 3-2 UKRAINE
85. A Netherlands corner finds it’s way to Ake out wide on the left flank.
The Man City man gets his head up and delivers a good cross towards the far post.
Dumfries – in an advanced position – rises highest and beats Bushchan at the far post!
WOW!
GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!
DUMFRIES MAY HAVE JUST SCORED THE WINNER!!!
UNBELIEVEABLE!!!
NETHERLANDS 2-2 UKRAINE
83. De Jong and Yaremchuk have a little coming together on the halfway line.
And the Dutch midfielder goes down holding his leg; it looks like cramp so nothing serious.
NETHERLANDS 2-2 UKRAINE
81. The Netherlands are in for a ROUGH end to the game. Ukraine have their tales up.
And the visitors have managed to come up with two goals in a matter of minutes!
De Boer is absolutely furious, and who can blame him.
Credit: EPA
Credit: EPA
NETHERLANDS 2-2 UKRAINE
79. Malinovskiy – who has been largely disappointing tonight – delivers a powerful free-kick into the Netherlands’ penalty area.
Yaremchuk loses his marker and plants the ball into the bottom left corner, completing the comeback!
WOW!
WHAT. A. GAME. OF. FOOTBALL!
UKRAINE ARE LEVEL!!!
UNBELIVEABLE!!!
YAREMCHUK DRAWS THE VISITORS LEVEL!!!
NETHERLANDS 2-1 UKRAINE
77. Game on and the crowd are in for a nervy final 13 minutes or so!
Ukraine have a real spring in their step, and their captain has just scored an inspirational goal.
NETHERLANDS 2-1 UKRAINE
74. The ball falls to Yarmolenko on the edge of the Netherlands’ penalty area.
The Ukraine captain opens up his body and bends the ball into the top-left corner!
Unbelievable…. WHAT A GOAL!
Captains’ inspiration!
WHAT A GOAL!!!
YARMOLENKO FIRES THE BALL INTO THE TOP CORNER!!!
WONDER-STRIKE!!!
NETHERLANDS 2-0 UKRAINE
71. The Netherlands win the ball back inside Ukraine’s half and the ball falls to Depay.
The forward has the chance to slip his strike-partner Weghorst in hind Ukraine’s backline.
But he opts to cut the ball back and run through some blew shirts.
NETHERLANDS 2-0 UKRAINE
69. Wijndal travels down the left-hand side and delivers a good, deep cross towards the far post.
Weghorst tries to peel off his marker to reach the ball, but he runs out of time.
NETHERLANDS 2-0 UKRAINE
67. Shevchenko clearly wasn’t happy with Marlos’ performance as he hooked him off for Shaparenko.
The midfielder should allow the technically gifted Malinovskiy to push forward.
Credit: EPA
Credit: EPA
NETHERLANDS 2-0 UKRAINE
65. Weghorst is penalised for a foul on the halfway line…. a rather unfortunate call to go against him.
NETHERLANDS 2-0 UKRAINE
62. SUBSTITUTIONS!
Blind and Van Aanholt are taken off for Man City’s Ake and Wijndal.
And for Ukraine, Shaparenko is coming on – replacing Marlos who came on in the first half.
Credit: EPA
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MARKO ARNAUTOVIC has wrapped up a crucial win for Austria in their Euro 2020 opener.And he then immediately turned and ranted at Ezgjan Alioski after netting to the horror of captain David Alaba.
Alaba was seen sprinting over to Arnautovic and physically holding his mouth to try and quiet him down.
In the first half Stefan Lainer pounced on a pinpoint long pass from Marcel Sabitzer to tap home and put Austria ahead.
But 38-year-old captain Goran Pandev then netted a first ever tournament goal for the North Macedonians.
However, Michael Gregoritsch made it 2-1 before Arnautovic literally had the final say.
Follow ALL the latest with our live blog below…
THAT’S ALL FROM BUCHAREST
Austria picked up their first ever win in the Euros as they beat North Macedonia in the National Arena.
The Austrians opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Marcel Sabitzer found Stefan Lainer with a brilliant cross and the latter scored a stunning volley from a tight angle.
But Igor Angelovski’s men netted their first ever cracker just 10 minutes later when Daniel Bachmann failed to hold on to the ball and Goran Pandev hit the target.
However, Franco Foda’s side wouldn’t be denied as a scintillating cross from David Alaba down the left flank found Michael Gregoritsch, who beat Stole Dimitrievski with a sharp finish.on 78 minutes.
Former West Ham ace Marko Arnautovic sealed the Austrians’ historic victory after a one-two with Konrad Laimer brought him in front of Dimitrievski whom he beat with ease in the 89th minute.
That’s all from us here at SunSport, have a lovely night!
Credit: EPA
FAN REACTION TO ARNAUTOVIC
Premier League fans found Austria star Marko Arnautovic’s angry celebration quite entertaining and even demanded his return to English football.
One tweeted: “Arnautovic celebrating a goal by nearly fighting his team-mates, that’s why he’s in my fantasy team.”
Another wrote: “Marko Arnautovic coming off the bench, rounding the goalkeeper and scoring the third goal, all while looking absolutely furious in the process. Bring this man back to the Barclays.”
And a third posted: “That Arnautovic celebration reminded me of Balotelli’s in 2012 Euros.”
Credit: EPA
ARNAUTOVIC RANT
Austria star Marko Arnautovic sealed his country’s historic win in the Euros.
Arnautovic slotted home to secure three points after rounding North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski and hitting the target.
That prompted some wild celebrations from the Shanghai Port ace who appeared to launch a verbal tirade towards the opposition before being mobbed by his team-mates.
Austria captain David Alaba then grabbed his face in a bizarre manner to apprently calm him down
Credit: EPA
SUPER SUBS
Austria won their first ever match in the Euros thanks to two late goals.
But both of those crackers occurred from players who came on as substitutes in the second half.
Those are Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic, who proved there is a potential pattern.
More below:

STILL GOR-ING ON
North Macedonia star Goran Pandev proved to be ageless today against Austria.
Pandev was essential throughout the match for his side as his movement opened space for his team-mates and his presence inspired the rest of the team to push forward.
The Genoa striker scored his country’s first ever goal in a major international tournament.
It also proved to be quite a special finish that will leave in history:
37 – Aged 37 years and 321 days, North Macedonia’s Goran Pandev is the second-oldest player ever to score at the EUROs, after Austria’s Ivica Vastic (38 years 257 days) vs Poland in 2008. Golden. #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/OsuGlza92X— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 13, 2021

LEAVING HIS MARK
This is how Marko Arnautovic sealed the win for Austria in a rather stressful evening.
Arnautovic switched the ball brilliantly with Konrad Laimer and had no problem beating Stole Dimitrievski.
The former West Ham star couldn’t hold his enthusiasm after hit the back of the net.
Check it out:

UPDATED TABLE
Austria now lead the way in Group C, but that is subject to change as the Netherlands and Ukraine are set to battle later tonight.
The Austrians really needed this win as three points alone could help them go through to the Round of 16 as long as they are among the four best third-placed teams.
North Macedonia are bottom of the table but scored their first ever goal with Goran Pandev.
More below:

STATS
Austria enjoyed most of the possession throughout the entire match and dominated a total of 63.2 per cent.
Franco Foda’s men registered a total of 10 shots, six of which were on target.
North Macedonia, on the other hand, recorded seven shots, but only two of them were on target.
Austria bested their opponents on tackles and aerial duels as they won 72.2 and 60.6 per cent respectively
FT: AUSTRIA 3-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
Austria picked up their first ever victory in the Euros as they beat North Macedonia in the National Arena.
The Austrians opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Marcel Sabitzer found Stefan Lainer with a brilliant cross and the latter scored a stunning volley from a tight angle.
But Igor Angelovski’s men netted their first ever goal 10 minutes later when Daniel Bachmann failed to hold on to the ball and Goran Pandev hit the target.
However, Franco Foda’s side wouldn’t be denied as a crisp cross from David Alba down the left flank found Michael Gregoritsch who beat Stole Dimitrievski with a sharp finish.on 78 minutes.
Former West Ham star Marko Arnautovic sealed the Austrians’ historic win after a one-two with Konrad Laimer brought him in front of Dimitrievski whom he beat with ease in the 89th minute
Credit: AP
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
FULL-TIME IN BUCHAREST!!!!!!
AUSTRIA 3-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
90+4 SUBSTITUTION
Austria manager Foda makes his final switch as Ilsanker replaces Schlager
AUSTRIA 3-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
90+3 A late substitution from Austria manager Foda as Baumgartlinger replaces Laimer
AUSTRIA 3-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
90 Austria seal their first ever victory in the Euros with a fine finish from Arnautovic.
Ulmer flicks the ball back to the striker after a free-throw and he casually breezes through North Macedonia’s defence, whoich allows him to beat Dimitrievski.
The ex-West Ham star celebrates that goal very passionately

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!
AUSTRIA MAKE IT THREE WITH ARNAUTOVIC!!!!!!
AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
88 Here is how Austria retook the lead with Gregoritsch.
Obviously nothing would have happened without Alaba’s incredible assist

AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
86 SUBSTITUTION
Another change from North Macedonia manager Angelovski as Ristovski replaces Musliu
AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
85 YELLOW CARD
First booking for Austria as Lainer gets cautioned for a tactical foul on Ademi that prevents a North macedonia counter-attack
AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
83 Austria dedicated both of their goals to Denmark international Eriksen.
Wonderful touch from the Austrians, who are closing in on their first ever victory in the Euros

Credit: Getty
AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
82 SUBSTITUTION
North Macedonia manager Angelovski makes another change as Trickovski replaces Bardi
AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
80 Austria got what they wanted after manager Foda figured out that he needs Alaba in midfield rather than defence.
North Macedonia’s defence let themselves down for the first time in the match as they were too slow to scout Gregoritsch run

AUSTRIA 2-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
78 Austria get the goal they so needed so desperately!
Alaba proves what a difference maker he can be as he delivers a cross from the left and finds Gregoritsch, who breaks through North Macedonia’s defence and beats Dimitrievski to the ball
GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!
AUSTRIA SCORE WITH GREGORITSCH!!!!!!!!!!
AUSTRIA 1-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
75 CHANCE
Alioski delivers a ball from the left, Pandev lets it through and Elmas gets the shot, which is blocked by Hinteregger
AUSTRIA 1-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
73 Frustrations are starting to boil up for both sides.
Austria continue to get more of the ball and look more dangerous ever since the introduction of Gregoritsch and Arnautovic
AUSTRIA 1-1 NORTH MACEDONIA
70 North Macedonia are confident on the pitch.
They don’t look to bothered about winning the match but want to get a result at all costs.
That really shows with their positioning and counter-attacks
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NORTH MACEDONIA make their international tournament bow against Austria today.Goran Pandev struck the winner in Tbilisi as the Balkan nation, which changed its name in 2018. overcame Georgia to get this far.
Meanwhile Austria qualified comfortably and will be looking to improve on Euro 2016, when they went out in the group stage.
Follow ALL the latest with our live blog below from 3.30pm…

TV channel: ITV1
FREE live stream: ITV Hub.
Austria XI: Bachmann, Lainer, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Ulmer, Baumgartner, Laimer, Schlager, Alaba, Sabitzer, Kalajdzic
North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Ristovski, Velkovski, Musliu, Nikolov, Bardhi, Ademi, Elmas, Alioski, Pandev, Trajkovski

AUSTRIA 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
8 North Macedonia haven’t been too clinical in their most recent outings.
But they can’t be ruled out as they have won three of their last four matches, picking up one draw along the way
1.25 – North Macedonia’s 1.25 goals scored per game during Euro 2020 qualifiers (15 in 12 games) was the joint-lowest average of any team to have qualified for the finals, alongside Wales. Steady. #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/kY7m9AaUOP— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 13, 2021

AUSTRIA 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
5 Austria are trying their usual tactic and that is to impose their dominance from the get go.
The Austrians’s style of play is very similar to the Germans’ and it’s all about taking the game to their opponents and dominate in the attacking third
AUSTRIA 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
2 Another quick reminder:
North Macedonia manager Igor Angelovski seems to have opted for a 5-3-2 formation.
Stole Dimitrievski starts in goal with Boban Nikolov at right-back and Ezgjan Alioski on the other side, while Stefan Ristovski, Darko Velkovski and Visar Musliu team up at centre-back.
Enis Bardhi, Arijan Ademi and Elif Elmas link up in midfield.
Aleksandar Trajkovski and captain Goran Pandev lead the attack
AUSTRIA 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
1 Just a quick reminder:
Austria manager Franco Foda seems to have opted for a 4-5-1 formation for today’s Euro 2020 opener.
Daniel Bachmann starts in goal with Stefan Lainer at right-back and Andreas Ulmer on the other side, while Aleksandar Dragovic and Martin Hinteregger partner up at centre-back.
Christoph Baumgartner covers the right flank with captain David Alaba on the other side, while Konrad Laimer, Xaver Schlager and Marcel Sabitzer team up in midfield.
And finally, Sasa Kalajdzic leads the line
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
AND OFF WE GO IN BUCHAREST!!!!!!!
HERE COME THE TEAMS!!!
The National Arena is set to host the Euro 2020 opener between Austria and North Macedonia.
The Austrians are led out to the pitch by captain David Alaba whereas Goran Pandev dons his country’s armband.
Several fans in attendance, which promises us quite an atmosphere we all know we missed.
Not long to go now!
Credit: Getty
ERIKSEN UPDATE
The whole world watched in shock yesterday as Inter Milan star Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland.
Medics managed to resuscitate Eriksen, who was stretchered out of the arena to the hospital and his condition has been “stable” ever since.
Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen confirmed the former Tottenham star suffered cardiac arrest and “was gone”.
Boesen said: “Yeah, he was gone and we did cardiac resuscitation.
“It was cardiac arrest, how close were we? I don’t know.
“We got him back after one defib. That’s quite fast”
Credit: Getty
STILL GOR-ING ON
No player has ever been more successful that Genoa star Goran Pandev throughout North Macedonia’s history.
Pandev has enjoyed a glittering 21-year career, which has seen him play for the likes of Galatasaray, Napoli, Lazio and Inter Milan.
In fact, the popular striker was part of Jose Mourinho’s star-studded Inter side that won a historic treble, which included the 2010 Champions League title.
And of course, the 37-year-old is North Macedonia’s record scorer with 30 goals in 111 appearances, which also makes him the nation’s most capped player ever
Credit: AFP
BYE BYE LAB
David Alaba poses as Austria’s biggest star tonight when his country kicks off its Euro 2020 campaign in Bucharest.
Alaba recently put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Real Madrid after 11 glittering years at Bayern Munich.
The versatile defender, who can play at centre-back, left-back and also midfield, amassed a total of 431 matches for Bayern, which means he has made more appearances than any other foreign player whose ever competed for the Bavarian giants.
The 28-year-old Austria international counts 81 caps so far with 14 goals and 17 assists for his national team so far
Credit: AP
NORTH MACEDONIA FORMATION
North Macedonia manager Igor Angelovski seems to have opted for a 5-3-2 formation.
Stole Dimitrievski starts in goal with Boban Nikolov at right-back and Ezgjan Alioski on the other side, while Stefan Ristovski, Darko Velkovski and Visar Musliu team up at centre-back.
Enis Bardhi, Arijan Ademi and Elif Elmas link up in midfield.
Aleksandar Trajkovski and captain Goran Pandev lead the attack
AUSTRIA FORMATION
Austria manager Franco Foda seems to have opted for a 4-5-1 formation for today’s Euro 2020 opener.
Daniel Bachmann starts in goal with Stefan Lainer at right-back and Andreas Ulmer on the other side, while Aleksandar Dragovic and Martin Hinteregger partner up at centre-back.
Christoph Baumgartner covers the right flank with captain David Alaba on the other side, while Konrad Laimer, Xaver Schlager and Marcel Sabitzer team up in midfield.
And finally, Sasa Kalajdzic leads the line
NORTH MACEDONIA BENCH
2 Bejtulai, 4 Ristevski, 7 Trickovski, 11 Hasani, 12 Jankov, 15 Kostadinov, 19 Velkoski, 20 Spirovski, 22 Siskovski, 24 Avramovski, 25 Churlinov, 26 Ristovski
AUSTRIA BENCH
1 Schlager, 6 Ilsanker, 7 Arnautovic, 10 Grillitsch, 11 Gregoritsch, 12 Pervan, 14 Baumgartlinger, 15 Lienhart, 16 Trimmel, 17 Schaub, 18 Schopf, 22 Lazaro
NORTH MACEDONIA
1 Dimitrievski, 16 Nikolov, 13 Ristovski, 14 Velkoski, 6 Musliu, 8 Alioski, 17 Bardhi, 5 Ademi, 21 Elmas, 10 Pandev, 9 Trajkovski
AUSTRIA XI

THE TEAM SHEETS ARE IN!!!
NORTH MACEDONIA STATS
Euro 2020 marks the first ever major international competition in which North Macedonia have ever qualified.
Igor Angelovski’s men made it to the European championships after winning their play-off final against Georgia 1-0 thanks to Goran Pandev’s winner.
North Macedonia have been on quite a roll as they have been undefeated in their last four outings, winning a staggering three along the way.
One of them included a famous 2-1 victory over Germany in Duisburg last March in the World Cup qualifying round with goals by Pandev and Elif Elmas
Credit: Reuters
AUSTRIA STATS
Austria are still looking for their first ever win in the European championships after two failed attempts in 2008 and 2016.
The Austrians qualified for Euro 2020 after finishing second in Group G behind table-toppers Poland, with just five points ahead of North Macedonia.
But Franco Foda’s men are in desperate need to improve their form as they failed to score or win any of their last three international games, losing twice in the process.
In fact, Austria have only won one of their last six matches across all competitions, losing twice along the way
Credit: AFP
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the third time Austria and North Macedonia cross paths in the last two years as they faced off in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
The Austrians won both fixtures against Igor Angelovski’s men and thus pose as favourites to gain the first three points of Group C.
Austria won 4-1 in Skopje with a goal by Valentino Lazaro, an own goal by Egzon Bejtulai and a brace by Marko Arnautovic – all of which cancelled out Martin Hinteregger’s oggie.
Franco Foda’s men also won the return fixture in Vienna with a score of 2-1 after David Alaba and Stefan Lainer hit the target before Vlatko Stojanovski’s consolation goal
Credit: Getty
GOOD EVENING FROM BUCHAREST
Welcome to our live coverage of the Euro 2020 group stage match between Austria and North Macedonia at the National Arena.
This marks the first match of Group C where both competitors have also been drawn with the Netherlands as well as Ukraine, who play later on tonight.
Austria manager Franco Foda has received a significant injury boost as captain Julian Baumgartlinger, Marko Arnautovic and Christoph Baumgartner are all available for selection.
Bayer Leverkusen ace Baumgartlinger recently dealt with a cruciate ligament injury and Hoffenheim’s Baumgartner seems to have recovered from an ankle problem.
Former West Ham star Arnautovic recently overcame a thigh strain but is unlikely to start ahead of Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic.
Manager Foda will have to decide whether he will start Real Madrid signing David Alaba in defence or midfield, with the latter scenario gathering more pace.
North Macedonia manager Igor Angelovski, on the other hand, is not dealing with any injury concerns ahead of this historic match for his national team.
Leeds ace Ezgjan Alioski is set to start as a left wing-back whereas Napoli’s Elif Elmas could feature in midfield close to the former.
Genoa star, and national hero, Goran Pandev is expected to lead the line, but he will probably not be alone as Mallorca striker Aleksandar Trajkovski may join the former Inter Milan and Lazio forward up front
Credit: Getty
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