Denmark has little hope of advancing to the round of 16 in the Euro and is holding on to that with the backing of its captain Christian Eriksen, who will not be able to accompany them on the pitch.
Christian Eriksen’s visit to the Danish camp after being discharged six days after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch has recharged his teammates, who believe in beating Russia on Monday and going to the second round of the European Championship.
The Danish star, who had collapsed in the game against Finland, was fitted with an implantable automatic defibrillator (ICD) on Friday after a successful operation at the Copenhagen Kingdom Hospital, and then traveled to Helsingør, about 100 kilometers the north, headquarters of the Danish concentration.
As revealed this Saturday by several of his teammates at a press conference, the Danish “ten” appeared with his family in the middle of training and then ate with them before going home.
“He seemed upbeat and energized the whole team. It was all very normal. We were able to give him a hug. It was good to see him hanging around with his son. It was a good day for many reasons. It was what we needed, “said Christian Nørgaard.
Joakim Mæhle, the one in charge of serving Eriksen when he collapsed on Saturday, described the meeting as “emotional” and recalled that the last time they had seen him face to face, “he was on the ground and they had to save his life on the grass”
“It is never pleasant to see him as we saw him, but I think we handled the whole situation well. It is very nice to see that he is now well,” said the Danish full-back, who acknowledged that he “needed” to see him “alive” again after the experience. of Saturday.
Winger Andreas Skov Olsen said seeing Eriksen smiling again has given them “a lot of peace of mind.”
His teammates agree that the “energy” that the Inter midfielder has given them they have to use as “motivation” for Monday’s game against Russia, in which Denmark is only worth a win and hope that Belgium defeats Finland, although it could also pass as one of the best thirds.
“Russia is a team that we have to beat on paper. We must start the same as against Belgium and do everything in our power to destroy the Russians,” Mæhle said.
The Atalanta player called it “crazy” that the team does not have any points after two games in which it was better, but remembered the example in 2016 of Portugal, which advanced with three points and ended up being champion.
“Why don’t we come in?” Mæhle said confidently.
Nørgaard also refers to the Belgian game, in which the Danes passed over one of the favorites for the title in the first half but ended up losing due to two great actions by De Bruyne.
“There are many things we can get out of that match. We are not going to face a rival with the same individual quality, but Russia is a good team and we will have to play a great game to achieve a good result,” he said.