Yussuf Poulsen made one last attempt. Completely alone on the lawn, the RB Leipzig striker ran bare-chested to the blissful fans, threw his hands into the night sky of Baku and was celebrated. After the 2-1 (2-0) win against the Czech Republic, the new Danish EM heroes tried their first semi-finals since the big surprise triumph in 1992 for as long as possible – and then dedicated the success to their longingly missing team-mate.
“Christian wrote last night that he is very proud of us,” said Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Delaney in one of countless moving moments late on Saturday evening about Christian Eriksen. “He was the best player for many years, we have him in our hearts, he should be here with us. We’re still struggling with it. But making him proud makes me happy. “
More than 1000 Danish fans in Baku
Ever since the fearful tremors for their leader after his collapse in the first European Championship group game against Finland, the Danish team has been emotionally carried through this tournament by a wave of affection. After two defeats at the start, no European Championship participant had ever made it to the semi-finals.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand said after the hard-fought success in the muggy evening heat of Baku that the support of the fans had given his team the necessary energy to make it into the top four on the continent. The Danes passionately defended the lead by Delaney (5th minute) and Kasper Dolberg’s goal (42nd) even after Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick (49th) scored the fifth goal, driven by more than 1000 fans who had traveled with them.
And Eriksen will also play an important role in the semi-final against England on Wednesday (9 p.m.) in London, said Hjulmand – even if the clock cannot be on the field and with the team. “I think of Christian every day, before the game and after the game,” said the former Mainz player. “We’re glad he survived. He’s still a big part of our team and an important part of our journey to Wembley. “
Hjulmand sees the events surrounding Eriksen as a symbol far beyond his team and started a monologue of big words. “In that second and in the days after, the whole world of football understood that the fundamental values in life and in football were shown in it,” said the 49-year-old. “There are so many agendas in football, but in those moments we all remembered why we started playing football and what values football is based on.”
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