Sports

Eriksen Scores On Emotional Euros Return As Denmark Held By Slovenia

Published

10 months ago

June 17, 2024

Christian Eriksen scored for Denmark in a 1-1 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024 on Sunday, almost three years to the day since he nearly died in his team’s opening game at the last tournament.

The Manchester United midfielder fired his side ahead on 17 minutes in front of a Stuttgart stadium filled overwhelmingly by Denmark supporters, but Erik Janza’s late deflected effort earned Slovenia a point in their first match at the Euros since 2000.

“I do think this time my story at the Euros is very different from the last one,” said Eriksen.

“I did have it in mind I hadn’t scored at the Euros, but nothing else than football was on my mind. In the end it would’ve been a different story if we’d got the three points, we’d have been much happier.”

Denmark go on to play England in their second Group C game in Frankfurt on Thursday, while Slovenia continue their campaign against Serbia in Munich.

“I have the feeling we were quite naive after the goal we conceded, but I think we’ll learn from this for the other games,” said Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek.

“They saw this is not an insurmountable mountain.”

Denmark reached the semi-finals of the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 tournament before losing to England, riding a wave of emotion triggered by Eriksen’s collapse in Copenhagen, which left him needing to be resuscitated on the pitch after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

He eventually resumed his career after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, making his return to international duty nine months later and appearing at the 2022 World Cup.

On the eve of Denmark’s Euro 2024 opener, Eriksen said the harrowing incident is no longer something he routinely thinks about, intent instead on focusing helping his country make another deep run in Germany.

Slovenia midfielder Timi Max Elsnik admitted there would be few surprises for either team after they finished just behind Denmark on a head-to-head record in their qualifying group.

Highly-rated Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko nearly caught Kasper Schmeichel out with a powerful long-range drive, but moments later it was Denmark who struck.

– Wind supplies Eriksen –

A quick throw-in was flicked on by Jonas Wind into the stride of Eriksen, who crashed a low shot into the far corner to give the Danes the lead.

With Sesko being closely monitored by the Danish defence, Andraz Sporar failed to take advantage of a hole in the backline as he miscontrolled a bouncing ball forward when he looked through on goal.

Sesko almost handed Denmark a second as he hacked a clearance in his own area against his team-mate, Jan Oblak watching on in hope as the ball skipped just wide of his goal.

Eriksen blazed over just before half-time after more excellent work from the lively Wind, with Slovenia defender Jaka Bijol close to heading into his own net after a Denmark set-piece early in the second half.

Oblak produced a brave stop to prevent Rasmus Hojlund from doubling the advantage, blocking the United forward’s effort from point-blank range to keep his team in it.

Adam Gnezda Cerin glanced a cross wide as Slovenia pressed for an equaliser and Sporar stabbed wide as he lunged to meet a free-kick.

Sesko was desperately unlucky to see his rasping drive cannon back off the post, but Slovenia were soon level.

Denmark could not properly clear a corner and Janza’s thumping half-volley from just outside the penalty box brushed off Morten Hjulmand to leave Schmeichel stranded.

Sporar had the chance to snatch victory for Slovenia after bursting past Jannik Vestergaard, but he powered into the side-netting as Schmeichel appeared to get the faintest of touches.

AFP

Sports

Just in: Chelsea maintains top 4 position after thrashing Everton 1-0

Published

12 hours ago

April 26, 2025

ADMIN

Chelsea on Saturday maintained its top four position in the Premier league after thrashing Everton 1-0 at home.

A lone goal was put behind Everton’s goal keeper at the 27th minute of the second half by M.Jackson of Chelsea, his first goal in the Premiership.

Details….

Sports

Weightlifting Heroes Lift Nigeria’s Spirits with Record-Breaking Gold Medals

Published

21 hours ago

April 26, 2025

Admin

Team Nigeria has wrapped up its participation at the 2025 African Senior Weightlifting Championship in Moka, Mauritius, with a stunning haul of 18 medals—13 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze—cementing its status as a continental powerhouse in the sport.

Nigeria’s final day of competition saw Sarah Ovayioza deliver a show-stopping performance in the women’s 76kg weight class, lifting a combined total of 237kg in the snatch, clean, and jerk. Her flawless execution earned the nation three more gold medals and drew roaring applause from the crowd as she closed out Nigeria’s campaign in style.

Earlier in the tournament, Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele dazzled in the women’s 64kg category, completing a clean sweep of the three gold medals in her weight class.

Following suit, Onome Omolola Didih was the star of the 55kg division with another triple-gold performance, dominating her weight class from start to finish (three gold medals).

Two-time African Games gold medallist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal , continued her golden streak in the 59kg category. Her lifts of 95kg (snatch) and 118kg (clean and jerk) for a total of 213kg secured yet another hat-trick of gold medals for Team Nigeria.

In the men’s events, Umoafia Joseph Edidiong powered through the 73kg category with a 147kg snatch to win gold, while narrowly missing out on a gold rush with two silvers in the clean and jerk.

Without minding what day of the week it was, Tuesday Emmanuel contributed to the medal count in the 67kg category, bagging two silver medals and a bronze after a combined lift of 276kg (130kg snatch, 146kg clean & jerk).

Although the championship continues until April 28, Nigeria’s contingent has concluded its events, proudly leaving the stage with one of the most impressive medal tallies recorded in recent history. The team’s performance yet again showcases Nigeria’s continued dominance and rising momentum in international weightlifting.

Sports

Teams that have qualified for the 2025-2026 Champions League

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2025

Austin Ojomah

Today we dive into some of the clubs that have already qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League group stage based on the current standings in some of the top European leagues and teams that have mathematically secured a top finish as of today, April 22, 2025:

Liverpool: They have mathematically secured a top-five finish in the Premier League, guaranteeing their Champions League spot due to England’s strong UEFA coefficient ranking.

Arsenal: They are highly likely to qualify, holding a significant point advantage over sixth place.

Bayer Leverkusen: They have secured a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.

Bayern Munich: They have also secured a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.

Barcelona: They are currently in a position to qualify through their league standing.

Real Madrid: They are also in a strong position to qualify through their league standing.

Paris Saint-Germain: They are in a qualifying position in Ligue 1.

Now, those are the usual suspects. There are several other teams that have qualified as league champions in their respective countries, though their entry point, i.e., group stage or qualifying rounds, depends on their league’s UEFA coefficient ranking. Some are familiar; others, not so familiar. They are:

Qarabag (Azerbaijan)

Differdange 03 (Luxembourg)

Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)

Malmö FF (Sweden)

Kairat (Kazakhstan)

KuPS (Finland)

Shelbourne (Ireland)

RFS (Latvia)

Víkingur (Faroe Islands)

Breiðablik (Iceland)

Linfield (Northern Ireland)

The New Saints (Wales)

Virtus (San Marino)

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Galatasaray (Türkiye)

Ajax (Netherlands)

Sporting CP (Portugal)

Genk (Belgium)

As the current season winds down, the number of qualified teams will increase. Follow the league standings in the major European leagues and the results of the current Champions League and Europa League to stay updated.