Staff Reporter.
@EURO2020.
Kevin de Bruyne inspired Belgium to a comeback 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.
The red-and-white clad fans in the 25,000-strong crowd on Thursday gave the Danish players a warm welcome as they came out before the game, and Belgian fans held up a banner saying “Belgium loves you Christian” before kickoff.
That display was topped when a giant Denmark shirt featuring Eriksen’s name and number was revealed during the opening ceremony to the jubilation of the crowd, followed by a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
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.
De Bruyne was sent on at the start of the second half and the Manchester City midfielder changed the game.
He played a part in the equaliser, receiving a pass from Romelu Lukaku before superbly finding Thorgan Hazard to fire home, and 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.