The result takes second place for a moment. How long does it take to count the 1100 days that separate June 12, 2021 from today. That day, at the 2021 European Championships, Christian Eriksen’s heart stopped and held the breath of his family, teammates and fans. On June 16, 2024, however, he can raise his arms to the sky in Denmark’s opening match in the tournament. In fact, he scored the goal that gave the Danes the lead, who after the hour mark gave up attacking and gave way to Slovenia. Matjaz Kek’s team increases the pace when needed and finds a deserved draw (1-1) with Janza’s goal. The duel between the young center forwards is undoubtedly won by Sesko, to the detriment of Hojlund.
THE MATCH
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The Slovenians propose a 4-3-3 with Sesko leading the offensive trident: Kek relies on Bijol in defense, Stojanovic (Sampdoria) in midfield and Mlakar (Pisa) as a high attacking winger. Kasper Hjulmand, on the other hand, lines up his team with 3-4-1-2, where Eriksen is behind Hojlund and Wind; from Serie A there is Kristiansen from Bologna, positioned wide on the left. As expected, it is Denmark who is more proactive but the first ring goes to the opponents. In the 16th minute Sesko receives in the midfield and unloads a right-footed shot that goes out a few centimeters from the post to Schmeichel’s right. A minute later, the Danes broke the deadlock following a lateral foul. Wind’s heel strike was noteworthy for Eriksen’s incursion, who then did well to coordinate for the diagonal to take the lead. Slovenia’s defensive phase is not faultless, as they risk making a big mess in the 28th minute: Sesko tries to clear a corner kick from the left, but his clearance hits Mlakar and the ball slides just wide. Overall, Denmark’s possession is facilitated by a less aggressive attitude from their rivals, who do not have the quality to dictate the inertia of the match.
THE RECOVERY
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Upon returning from the changing rooms, the pace is decidedly slower, but it is still Hjulmand’s national team that is preferred. Hojlund has the matchpoint in the 65th minute, when he is served perfectly by Kristiansen a few steps from the goal, but the confident shot is blocked by Oblak. The Slovenian response comes on the following action: Sporar’s cross, Cerin’s header which almost misses the target. Then it is Sporar himself, caught with a free kick from the centre, who has another enormous chance, splitting into the small area (74′). Slovenia’s crescendo is unstoppable and after two minutes Sesko tries to be a candidate for the best goal of the European Championships by unloading a right-footed counter-ball from distance which hits the post. The efforts were finally rewarded in the 77th minute: from a corner, Janza collected the ball outside the area and finished with first intention; Hjulmand is on the path and deflects just enough to put his goalkeeper out of action. Kek’s team believes in it and does well, because Denmark doesn’t react. Verbic launches Sporar, who from a tight angle forces Schmeichel to save (81′). Coach Hjulmand plays the Poulsen and Dolberg cards for the final part of the match, but they are not enough to prevail. The European Championship of Slovenia and Denmark begins with a draw.
