June 16 – Slovenia persevered for a thrilling draw in Stuttgart, as the underdogs held Denmark to a 1-1 scoreline to rattle Group C from the off.
The result marked the first major upset of the tournament so far. Featuring at the European Championships for the first time in 24 years, Slovenia qualified second in their group behind the Danes, who beat them twice.
Playing with aggression and intent, Slovenia had their share of chances but failed to take them early on.
It took 77 minutes to find their feet, where fullback Erik Janza thrashed in an unlikely equaliser – shattering the Slovenians’ curse versus Danish opposition.
Slovenia’s Andraz Sporar shoots
Despite the disappointing result, Christian Eriksen impressed on his first Euros game since the events in 2021, which saw the player’s tournament end early due to a heart-related incident on the pitch. He returned to action as the pride of the team, pulling the strings from midfield as he adopted an attacking role usually occupied by Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United.
Fellow Red Devil Rasmus Hojlund also started up front for the Danes, but faced a disappointing Euros debut after coming up blank.
He lined up beside Wolfsburg’s Jonas Wind, who himself marked his first start for Denmark since they beat Slovenia back in November.
Hjulmand’s selection did pay off though. as the 25-year-old pulled off a superb piece of skill to set up Eriksen for Denmark’s goal.
Kasper Hjelmund opened with an identical setup to the team that beat Sweden ahead of the tournament, with a 3-4-1-2 shape that looked to take advantage of a strike partnership lead by Hojlund, and all the pace and strength that comes with him.
Meanwhile, Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek deployed his trademark 4-4-2 which was seen all the way through qualifying, aimed at providing strong defensive cover whilst allowing duo Benjamin Sesko and Andraz Sporar to stay forward and press.
The Danes opened with impressive attacking play, moving…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/06/16/slovenia-upset-form-book-denmark-draw/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-06-16 20:06:52
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