Kevin de Bruyne inspired Belgium to a comeback 2-1 win against Denmark that secured their place in the last 16 of Euro 2020 as fans and players paid tribute to Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, who is recovering after suffering cardiac arrest.
Eriksen is in hospital after he collapsed on the pitch at the Parken Stadium during Saturday’s game against Finland.
Denmark were making their return to the Parken Stadium for the first time since those shocking scenes of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch at the weekend.
Both sets of fans showed their support for the player with messages to him on banners in the stands, while the conclusion of the Danish national anthem was greeted with a huge roar.
Tributes were paid to Denmark’s talismanic number 10 before and during the game, with play stopped in the 10th minute as players, officials and supporters joined together for a minute’s applause.
That came after Yussuf Poulsen gave the hosts a dream start just one minute and 39 seconds into the game, slotting in after a mistake in the Belgium defence.
But the introduction of De Bruyne for the start of the second half changed all that as he provided a brilliant cameo performance.
The midfielder has recently recovered from a fractured nose and eye socket but his return and performance from off the bench will give the Belgians a real boost heading into the knockout rounds.
He played a part in the equaliser, receiving a pass from Romelu Lukaku before superbly finding Thorgan Hazard to fire home in the 54th minute.
He then drove in the winner with 20 minutes remaining after a brilliant move started by Lukaku.
Martin Braithwaite went close to a late equaliser for Denmark but his header skimmed the top of the bar.
Victory means Belgium are top of Group B with six points from two games while Denmark are bottom of the standings with zero points.
BBC
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