They saved a dying friend and reached the top four. A great journey for the Danes

When talking about the Danish national team, the first tournament that comes to fans' mind is Euro 1992. Then, Richard Moller Nielsen's hastily organized team made it to the tournament on an emergency basis… and won it, creating a romantic history. Less than thirty years later, the Danes again made football history. If not for sporting reasons, then at least for life reasons.

In the shadow of the 1992 team

Denmark got to Euro 2020 as the second team in Group D of the qualifiers. Moreover, the country was one of several co-hosts of the tournament held in a new, very open formula. However, the opening match was dramatic. In the 53rd minute, Christian Eriksen fell to the pitch. The Premier League star immediately lost consciousness, which required immediate resuscitation. In addition to the great work of the doctors, the midfielder's colleagues showed great attitude.

They created a living cordon blocking access to cameras so that no one could take photos of the unconscious Eriksen. In the hospital, it was found that the footballer, born in 1992, had a heart attack. When it turned out that the player's health was stable, the match was resumed. Denmark lost 0-1. However, she won the hearts of fans.

Great attitude towards Christian Eriksen

The Danes also lost the match against the Belgians, which meant that theoretically they should have no greater chance of advancing. Theoretically, because practically before the last round, only the Belgians' advancement was certain. Kasper Hjulmand's team won convincingly against Russia 4:1 and left the group in second place. In the 1/8 finals – not at their home stadium in Copenhagen, but in Amsterdam – the players, motivated to play for the sick Eriksen, defeated the Welsh (the revelation of the previous Euro) 4-0.

In the quarterfinals, they faced the Czechs, who had previously unexpectedly defeated the Dutch. In this case there was no pogrom. Denmark won modestly 2:1, but still had reasons to be satisfied. The team that lost its conductor became a collective supported by fans of other countries.

The romantic story ended with a heroic extra time against England. After the regular 90 minutes of the semi-final at Wembley, the score was 1-1. The fact that the hosts of the final tournament advanced to the gold medal match was decided by Harry Kane's goal in the 104th minute. On the one hand, the Danes could be devastated (because they missed out so close), and on the other hand, proud because they achieved their best result in many years.

Denmark will compete at Euro 2024

Euro 2020 had its effect in the following months. Simon Kjaer was rewarded by UEFA for helping save Eriksen's life. The midfielder himself, who was initially supposed to stop playing football, returned to it. After his stint in Brentford, he will take on the Manchester United shirt from 2022. Eriksen performs with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator. He remains a member of the national team and can be expected to be on German pitches in June at Euro 2024.