Euro 2020: The Thursday recap

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Jun 17, 2021

Highlights

Thursday, June 17
Ukraine 2 North Macedonia 1 (Goals: Yarmolenko 29, Yaremchuk 34; Alioski 57)

Thursday, June 17
Denmark 1 Belgium 2 (Goals: Poulsen 2; Hazard 55, De Bruyne 70)

Thursday, June 17
Netherlands 2 Austria 0 (Goals: Depay, pen. 11, Dumfries 67)

Numbers

1:39. Yussuf Poulsen's goal to give Denmark a 1-0 lead against Belgium was the second fastest strike in European Championship history. In 2004, Russia's Dmitri Kirichenko scored at the 1:07-minute mark in a 2-1 over Greece.

Spotlight

Goals by Thorgan Hazard (55th minute) and Kevin de Bruyne (70) erased Denmark's early lead and the win clinched a spot in the round of 16 for Belgium, which joins the Netherlands and Italy as the first to advance. 

The game was halted in the 10th minute for a moment of applause for Christian Eriksen, the Dane who is recovering in the hospital following the frightening medical emergency during Denmark's opening match, a 1-0 loss against Finland.

"We've felt an enormous backing from the people, from all the people following us, this whole stadium and all the people we've met and felt the love," said Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand. "And also that this group is extremely good together. We can take a lot with us from this match. Now we'll close this one. I'm already thinking about the Russians. We are not finished in this tournament."

With four of the six groups' third-place finishers advancing, Denmark still has a chance to reach the second round with a win over Russia.

Schedule

Friday, June 18
9 a.m. ET Group E – Sweden vs. Slovakia ESPN, PrendeTV
Noon ET Group D – Croatia vs. Czech Republic ESPN, PrendeTV
3 p.m. ET Group D – England vs. Scotland ESPN, PrendeTV