High-intensity quarterfinal: Denmark tackle Czechs for spot in Euro 2020 semifinals

From the despair of seeing a teammate undergo cardiac arrest to the European Championship quarterfinals, in some way Denmark retains on going.Denmark will face the Czech Republic on Saturday, precisely three weeks after midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the sphere within the group”s opening recreation and needed to be resuscitated with a defibrillator.
While Eriksen recovers — initially within the hospital and now at house — Denmark has improved at Euro 2020. A 4-1 win over Russia obtained Denmark out of the group stage after two losses. Beating Wales 4-0 within the spherical of 16 matched the group’s greatest exhibiting since “Danish Dynamite” received the 1992 European Championship.
“Culture-wise, there’s similarities. Values of sticking (together), one for all and all for one,” Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg stated Thursday.
“There’s this delight additionally to be enjoying to your nation and all these values that I don’t suppose have modified an excessive amount of since 1992.
“But my biggest respect to the guys in ”92 as a result of they went on to win it. We haven’t performed something but.”
Since the “shock” of Eriksen”s sudden collapse, Hojbjerg stated, Denmark has gone by means of big emotional ups and downs.
“Now we’re in the quarterfinals, so it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, a big one,” he stated.
“And the good thing is that we are still hungry. We’re still determined to push for more.”
More than half of the 26-man squad was not but born when Denmark beat Germany 2-0 within the 1992 remaining. The solely European quarterfinal look since then got here in 2004, a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic. Hojbjerg was 8 years previous again then and remembers he was “not very happy” he couldn’t watch the match due to a faculty journey.
That match resulted in disappointment for the Czechs, too. They misplaced to eventual champion Greece 1-0 within the semifinals. As Czechoslovakia, the group received the European title in 1976. As the Czech Republic, the excessive level was being runner-up to Germany in 1996.
Both Denmark and the Czech Republic have been at their greatest at Euro 2020 when enjoying high-intensity, bodily soccer towards opponents who needed possession. They may find yourself canceling one another out within the quarterfinals. That’s enjoying on Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand’s thoughts, a lot in order that he admitted he was disenchanted the Czech group upset the Netherlands 2-0 within the spherical of 16.
“I would rather have played the Netherlands,” Hjulmand informed Danish broadcaster DR on Monday. “Now we’re facing a team for the first time (in the tournament) that I think can match our own intensity.”
Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen may return after lacking the Wales recreation with a muscle damage, when substitute Kasper Dolberg scored twice. One extra purpose would see Czech Republic ahead Patrik Schick match Cristiano Ronaldo as match chief with 5.
Few Danish or Czech followers can be within the Baku Olympic Stadium for the sport. Only Turkey, Azerbaijan’s shut ally, has had greater than a pair hundred followers at video games within the metropolis to this point.
“In my view it doesn’t really make sense (to play in Baku). We are a bit frustrated but we respect this decision,” Czech Republic midfielder Michal Sadilek stated by means of an interpreter on Thursday.
“We hope for any support we can get at the stadium and we are going to play so that we can have the fans at our next game.”
Plans for a Czech constitution flight to Baku fell aside as a result of not sufficient followers agreed to go. Denmark might have as much as 1,000 supporters and provided 50 of its most loyal followers a journey on the federation’s aircraft.
Denmark has felt nearer than most groups to its followers, who roared the group on to beat Russia in Copenhagen. In Amsterdam, too, the Danes had been the native favorites in what felt like a house recreation towards Wales.
“Every time we put on the shirt, every time we wear the badge of the Danish national team, we are playing for the country, we are having the country with us,” Hojbjerg stated.
“So in that way they will always be with us. Everybody will always be with us.”