Romelu Lukaku struck twice as Belgium confirmed their status as one of the favourites for Euro 2020 with a confident 3-0 victory over Russia in yesterday’s late kick-off.
Despite being without key performer Kevin De Bruyne, world number one ranked Belgium were rarely in trouble against a Russia side that struggled to impose themselves.
Roberto Martinez’s Belgium top Group B on three points, ahead on goal difference of Finland who beat Denmark in the group’s other game in Copenhagen.
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#UAEnews #Euro2020 #football
Despite being without key performer Kevin De Bruyne, world number one ranked Belgium were rarely in trouble against a Russia side that struggled to impose themselves.
Roberto Martinez’s Belgium top Group B on three points, ahead on goal difference of Finland who beat Denmark in the group’s other game in Copenhagen.
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #Euro2020 #football
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NewsTranscript
00:00Guys, there's only one place to start this morning and that's with that horrific Christian
00:04Eriksen incident during the Denmark and Finland match, the Inter Milan midfielder.
00:12Welcome to another episode of Golf News kicking back, the show where we discuss all things
00:17football.
00:18I'm Imran Malik and I'm joined again by Matt Smith, Shamsir Mohamed and our special guest
00:22Sahil Sajan.
00:23Guys, there's only one place to start this morning and that's with that horrific Christian
00:27Eriksen incident during the Denmark and Finland match, the Inter Milan midfielder suffering
00:32a heart attack and collapsing on the pitch.
00:35But the quick actions of the Danish team and the paramedics thankfully saved his life but
00:40for a long time, we were all for in the worst, weren't we?
00:44Yeah, it was horrendous.
00:47We've all seen these moments before with the likes of Fabrice Molamba and things like that
00:51but it never gets any less shocking when you see a professional athlete just suddenly
00:58stop like that.
01:00It shows the stresses that these guys do put themselves through and the high fitness levels
01:06and as you say, the quick response times make these incidents not fatal.
01:13We've seen before so many times of having more tragic circumstances but again, in this
01:20day and age, we are very fortunate that the people are there and they're trained very
01:25well to deal with these situations as and when they arise.
01:29Yeah, it was one of the worst scenes that I have seen on a football pitch.
01:35It was that terrifying, it was petrifying.
01:38I'm not exaggerating enough because this thing, it was like something has happened to someone
01:44very close to you, it's something happened to some of your relatives because it shows
01:48how deeply connected this game to all of us around the world and every one of us were
01:54praying to get Ericsson back on the pitch initially but then we realized the scenario
02:02has been really bad and one thing I have to point out is that Anthony Taylor along with
02:07the medics and everyone, Anthony Taylor actually reacted pretty quickly which was, I have been
02:13a big critic of Anthony Taylor but he made a decision pretty early and that allowed the
02:20medics to do their jobs pretty easily and also one more hero was there, a brave heart
02:25like Simone Gare, he actually comforted Ericsson's girlfriend, he patrolled all the teammates
02:35and made a human wall around Ericsson to keep his situation away from the camera angles.
02:43So, I don't know, it was one of the worst things I have ever seen on a football pitch
02:47but thankfully, Ericsson is all right.
02:49Sahil, what do you think, horrible, wasn't it?
02:54It was devastating to watch, you know, be it a Euro 2020 game or just a general game,
02:59you never want to see a football player collapse during the field, you know, and the guy needed
03:05CPR which made it even more worse, it was just, I don't know, I just was stunned to
03:11see it and, you know, a big name like Ericsson has gone down and, you know, you could see
03:15but I was just so proud of the Danish team just, you know, covering him, you know, so
03:19that the media doesn't take any photos, that was just like excellent to see, I mean, you
03:24have seen it all over social media how they have done it and, you know, I am just so sad
03:29like, you know, Christian Ericsson unfortunately will not be fit and you know how it has affected
03:34the Danish team so but in the end, credit to the Danish team as Shamshir said like Simone
03:40Kerr and the referee did their job well so, yeah.
03:43The match was suspended for almost two hours before it was allowed to resume, now the big
03:49talking point is should it have been allowed to go ahead after that distressing incident,
03:52I mean, my personal opinion is that it should not have, none of the players would have been
03:56in the right frame of mind, it happened right by the touchline next to the main stand so
04:00thousands of fans would have seen that upswing incident up close and I think more respect
04:05should have been paid to that horrific situation, the game itself wasn't even that vital, it
04:09was just their first group game and could have easily been rescheduled.
04:13Absolutely, you know, this shows that they are treating footballers are not humans, like
04:19they are treating them as robots, you know, yes, there were talks about, you know, Ericsson
04:24was said to the players that the game can be gone but the decision shouldn't be rested
04:30on the players, you know, it should, the UEFA had, should have suspended the game at least
04:34for 24 hours or something, you know, like they were not in the right frame of mind,
04:38you could see the Danish players were struggling on the pitch, especially someone like Schmeichel
04:43making that kind of a mistake, he fumbled, which is very unlike of Schmeichel and even
04:49you can see Hoiberg missing a penalty, it's all in their heads, man and I shouldn't have
04:54played that game at that time and credit to the Finland players, even after scoring Kristoff,
05:00what's his name, Poempelo, Poempelo didn't celebrate but was showing respect to Ericsson
05:06but the game should have never happened, should have never happened.
05:09I think Schmeichel saved those with his eyes closed normally, he absolutely fumbled that,
05:14I think his mind for sure was elsewhere, same for Hoiberg, that penalty, it was a half-height
05:18attempt, he really didn't hit it, I'm sure when he put the ball down, his mind was obviously,
05:23probably on Ericsson.
05:24I don't think any of them wanted to be there and after that incident, they just wanted
05:30to get off the pitch as soon as possible and maybe that's why they decided just to get
05:33the game over with, so it didn't hang over them, they just decided let's just get this
05:37done, we don't care about the three points anymore, let's just get off the field and
05:41then we'll regroup for another day and I think that's why they went ahead with it, to make
05:46sure it wasn't hanging over them and as I said, they discussed it and I think they made
05:54the right decision amongst themselves to get it over and done with, maybe not in terms
05:59of getting the correct result they wanted but they definitely, just to allow everybody
06:04to move on.
06:05But the decision shouldn't have been rested on the players, it should have been, the federation
06:12should have taken a call on that.
06:13Absolutely, the game shouldn't have been played, I mean, I get it, like maybe Ericsson must
06:17have told his players, you know, you guys have to play this game and all that but no,
06:22they were not in the frame of mind, as you're saying, Hoiberg…
06:25Ericsson himself, Ericsson himself wouldn't have been in the correct frame of mind to
06:29be making decisions for anybody anyway.
06:32It should have been postponed, you know, why can't they just play another day, why, just
06:37finish the game?
06:38I agree that UEFA should have taken the decision out of their hands but I still think that
06:44they should have played it and they did the right thing to play it but had UEFA forced
06:49them to play it, that would be an entirely different story but they decided they wanted
06:53to do it.
06:54Maybe, but still, you know, you saw the way they scored, no celebration, even they were
06:59not in the right frame of mind, it should have been played, even Finland definitely
07:03would have been agreed to not playing this game.
07:05Absolutely, and there'll be a black mark next to that game forever now, you know, they'll
07:08be, oh yeah, that would be remembered for that win, that'll be remembered for that incident
07:13with Ericsson.
07:14You know, I think a broader conversation needs to be had about fixture congestion and scheduling
07:20because for a long time now, we keep hearing from all the top managers in the European
07:23League saying that there are far too many games and there's potential serious injuries
07:27to players.
07:28Perhaps now, football's governing body will sit up and take notice and maybe make some
07:32changes and give players a bit more time to rest, do you think that'll happen?
07:38Possibly, but again, they shouldn't have come to this, you know, why does a man have to
07:41collapse on the field before people listen?
07:44They should just say, do you know what, we don't have to keep making a fast buck here
07:47and there and having more and more games and expanded club competitions when people's
07:54lives and welfare are at stake, you know, again, you know, like she was talking about
08:00injuries as well, you know, a guy's career could be over by playing three games a week
08:05just because a hamstring goes or a broken ankle or an unfortunate incident getting off
08:10the bus, you know, it could be any of these sort of things, but yeah, there's way too
08:17many games as it is.
08:18Often people talk about the physical problems that these players are facing, but there is
08:23a bigger, broader issue about the mental strength and mental illness that these are
08:27not discussed enough, you know, the stress that they are involving and yes, obviously
08:30they're having the flashy cars, a lot of money involved in it, but they're all humans just
08:35like you and me, you know, they all have emotions, they all have all sorts of feelings, you know,
08:40so we need to consider that as well, even forget about the federation, even the fans
08:44don't even really care about that because you can see all the abuses and everything
08:49they get when one chance goes missing, so it's a deeper issue.
08:54You know, there's a reason why managers keep saying, there's a tight schedule, my players
08:59will burn out, you know, the players might say, manager, I'm like, sir, I'm ready to
09:04play, don't worry about it all, but in the end, the managers know what's best because
09:09the players, they're desperate to play, they enjoy the game, but they won't realize that
09:13they're burning themselves out, this is one thing they should focus on, like games should
09:18be having a space of at least four to five days, because generally for club matches,
09:23there are like league games, the champions league, now the euros also, every four days
09:28they will have a game, so definitely they're going to burn out.
09:32Yeah, all interesting opinions there, now aside from that Denmark-Finland game,
09:36there were two more matches played yesterday, Wales against Switzerland, which finished
09:391-1, but the Swiss will feel really disappointed that they didn't get the win after a dominant
09:44display, won't they?
09:45Yeah, absolutely, Wales were not the best, and they'll be feel lucky to get a point at
09:50that game, I think.
09:52Switzerland, while they're not exactly held in the same acclaim and esteem as the Belgians
09:58and the Francis right now, they should be beating Wales, they really should be, no offence
10:05to the Welsh, they're just a one-man team, really, in my opinion, and yeah, Switzerland
10:12will think that they've let that one goal, I think, considering, as you said, the dominance
10:17that they put in, they did everything right, except for getting the win.
10:22They looked like they stopped playing, didn't they? I mean, if you compare them to, for
10:25example, Italy, after they got one goal, two goals, three goals, they were still trying
10:29to score, but the Swiss yesterday seemed to be quite happy with just that one goal and
10:33then try to contain the Wales team.
10:36Absolutely, they made a big mistake in taking off Shaqiri and putting a defensive midfielder
10:41on, that actually changed the game, you know, then after that, Wales got a grip in the game
10:45because it was like a Jose Mourinho-esque kind of a thing to do, you know, park the
10:52bus after 1-0, but shutting the shop didn't work well, because in the last 10-15 minutes,
10:58Wales really clicked together and all the big players like Ramses and Bales, even
11:06these guys, the guy who scored the equaliser, it's a fantastic story for that kid,
11:11because he's been playing for Cardiff City, but not long ago, he was playing in the
11:15non-tier English leagues, like the Conference League and all, so it's a brilliant story
11:21for him to score the equaliser.
11:23But Swiss should have won that game in the first half itself, because the amount of
11:28chances Seferovic got in the first half itself, they missed it, they missed the chance.
11:33And now Turkey will be the happiest team among the group.
11:42I mean, Wales needed something really special.
11:44It was a world-class header by Kiefer Moore, let's be honest, it's not easy to score such
11:48headers and they needed something special, which Gareth Bale wasn't able to provide.
11:52And Dan James also had a good game, he was providing an explosive pace.
11:56I think Jan Somer also had a very good save on Kiefer Moore.
12:00So, I mean, credit to Wales for fighting it out till the end, but the Swiss will be
12:03scratching their heads.
12:06I mean, Wales will be trying to replicate that incredible run they had in the last
12:09tournament in 2016 when they got to the semi-final.
12:12But on the basis of that performance yesterday, they won't even get out of the group, will they?
12:17They'll struggle.
12:19They'll struggle, yeah, they'll struggle.
12:20Because, you know, it's primarily down to the players who haven't played enough football.
12:25You know, you can look at that Wales squad, you can see Ben Davies was out for a long
12:28time, Joe Allen hasn't played for a long time.
12:32Gareth Bale, yes, he played for Spurs, but not enough.
12:35Then you can see Daniel James, who was in the squad most of the time.
12:38So, these players haven't played enough football in the last 12 months.
12:42That could cost Wales a lot.
12:44Yeah, I mean, some of these squads, and you can reel off name after name after name.
12:51Once you get past, like, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale, you really struggle to name a
12:56lot of players in this team.
12:57You kind of go, who's that guy?
12:59I mean, you can't even recognise them, you know.
13:04It's not like the France squad, where you can just go, boom, boom, boom, boom, or the
13:07Belgium squad, you know.
13:09The Wales team, you just go, I've never heard of half of these guys, you know.
13:15Yeah, I think they'll be very quickly forgotten in this tournament.
13:19I think the real difference between the sides was Mbola, the Switzerland striker.
13:23He was an absolute handful for the Wales defence.
13:25They just couldn't stop him.
13:27Strength, pace, everything was there in him.
13:29He was outstanding, especially after the second half began.
13:33He was dangerous, like, Joe Rodon was not even able to contain him at all.
13:37He was outstanding yesterday.
13:38Mbola.
13:40It was very honest from the kid not to fall from a shirt pull from Mepham.
13:45Have you seen that?
13:46Yeah.
13:47There was an incident.
13:49This shows, you know, why the players are diving in the box, you know.
13:52The guy was honest.
13:53He didn't dive.
13:54His shirt was in Mepham's hand, but still he didn't dive.
13:58That's another talking point, you know.
14:01I think he looks a perfect fit for the Premier League.
14:06I think a big money move from Borussia Mönchengladbach on the cards for him.
14:12You never know.
14:13A certain Everton needs a striker apart from Calvert-Lewis.
14:16We could do a lot worse.
14:17We could do a lot worse.
14:18I really was impressed with him.
14:22I'll tell you, I was impressed with that Belgium team last night as well.
14:26That was a very efficient display, I thought.
14:29Belgium, my tip for the tournament, Matt, yeah.
14:32Up against Russia, they strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win in the end.
14:36Because several of those players were teammates of Eriksen,
14:40and that would have been on their minds.
14:41But they didn't let that disrupt their game, did they?
14:44No, not at all, not at all.
14:45They were very businesslike.
14:47And as you said, your tip for the tournament, they'll take some stopping.
14:52I mean, obviously, it just depends on one day, one match.
14:56But they look as though they may be in business this time around.
14:59You know, they're always the bridesmaids.
15:01They've come so close so many times,
15:03but they've never quite lifted a major trophy yet.
15:06But it could well be this time around.
15:09And that's without Kevin De Bruyne.
15:14I absolutely love the way Romelu Lukaku
15:17bent towards the camera and screamed,
15:19Chris, Chris, I love you.
15:21It shows how beautiful the game is, you know.
15:23It was a good moment, yeah.
15:25And after the game, he told that he was crying before the game.
15:28So he dedicated the game, the win, to Christian Eriksen.
15:32It shows how they're all connected to each other.
15:34And for Belgium, you know, Romelu Lukaku is their talisman
15:39in the absence of Geddy B and Eden Hazard.
15:42And he was brilliant.
15:44We have seen how good he is.
15:45He's a powerhouse.
15:46He can be a target man.
15:49He can be a lethal finisher.
15:51He can score from set pieces.
15:53He's a brilliant player.
15:55Absolutely.
15:56You know, like we were all saying, without De Bruyne,
15:58they might not be balanced.
16:01But look at them.
16:01They were, like, outstanding.
16:02And now Kevin De Bruyne is yet to come back.
16:05But again, Russia were poor at the back.
16:07You know, two sloppy errors.
16:09And you cannot do errors against world-class teams like Belgium.
16:12So credit to Belgium for taking the chance as well.
16:15But obviously, they are the world-class team.
16:17And we're going to see more of them.
16:19Yeah, I mean, De Bruyne and Axel Witsel were both out with injuries.
16:23But Tillemans and Dendoncker had a really good game in midfield.
16:26And overall, there was a really good tempo about their play, wasn't there?
16:30Yeah, they definitely are.
16:32And they know each other very well.
16:34A lot of them play in different leagues around the world.
16:36But when they come together, they come together as a proper unit.
16:41And I think a lot of that can come from being a smaller nation like that.
16:46And you know, like Belgium and even guys like Scotland,
16:49you know each other a lot better than, say, if you've got a large...
16:54if you're spread across the whole of Germany, for example, and beyond.
16:58These guys, they're friends first and foremost.
17:00And then they're teammates, you know.
17:02They know each other very well.
17:05Yeah, it's also the credit to the manager.
17:08He has been there for like five years.
17:09And he's getting the team right now because he knows how organized they are.
17:14You can see a certain flair in their play, which is down to the manager.
17:18Because you can see, like Mimran said, Axel Witsel and KDB and Eden Hazard were in play.
17:24But still, they all gel together.
17:27So it was brilliant to watch them.
17:30And also, yeah, great to see Eden Hazard get some minutes.
17:32You know, that's a bit of a motivation for Belgium
17:34because you know that he's their hero since a long time.
17:38So let's see what he does in the tournament.
17:40He's not had a great two years.
17:41So we all want to see what does he do for Belgium this season.
17:44That's a very good point.
17:45That's a very good point.
17:46And then Munich got the second and Lukaku got the third.
17:48He's already on two goals.
17:49And at times, he looks unplayable.
17:52He's definitely got his eyes on the golden boot, hasn't he?
17:55Definitely.
17:56Definitely.
17:57I picked him for the golden boot.
17:58Anyway.
17:59I think that there's maybe three or four guys that have all got maybe an inkling
18:05to think that they could do it.
18:06Maybe Harry Kane, maybe Kylian Mbappe.
18:10But to get that first game out of the way, to get two goals in the bag,
18:13he's definitely got himself on the perfect start.
18:19All right, moving on.
18:20We've got three more fixtures today.
18:22A couple of big games in the mix.
18:24The first one, England against Croatia at Wembley.
18:28You've mentioned Harry Kane there.
18:30Do you think he's going to do well today?
18:32How do you think he's going to get on today?
18:35Well, this is a rematch of that World Cup clash, isn't it?
18:38Which didn't go England's way.
18:40But I think that with the England team being a couple of years older,
18:44a couple of years wiser, and the Croatia team being a bit on the wane,
18:48I think England will have too much for them today.
18:50I think that they've just got that little bit of extra class these days.
18:53And I think that they'll comfortably 2-0, easy.
18:572-0, 3-0.
19:03I'm saying that with this shirt on.
19:05Oh, my God.
19:06Right, I'll tell Scotland later.
19:10You scratched my back.
19:14It's a big, big test for some of the boys there.
19:18Likes of Declan Rises, Mason Mounds, Phil Fordens.
19:22It's their first major tournament.
19:25And I just want to see how they're going to perform.
19:27It's all down to the manager now.
19:29How is he going to pick up the team?
19:30They have the plethora of talents everywhere on the pitch,
19:33except at the back.
19:35But I just want to see whether he's going to use three at the back,
19:38four at the back.
19:40It's all down to the manager now.
19:43But I don't think...
19:44I don't want to write Croatia off.
19:46Yes, England, look at their team.
19:48It's wonderful.
19:49But it's going to be a good game.
19:50I'm hoping that England win, obviously, because I support them.
19:53But I'm not going to write Croatia off.
19:55You know, the influence of Luka Modric will be there,
19:58no matter what.
19:58Yeah, he's 35 plus.
20:00But let's be honest, he's got his influence on the game.
20:03You know, Ante Rebic is a man in form.
20:05So it's going to be a wonderful game to watch.
20:07I'm just...
20:08I'm hoping that we all enjoy a wonderful game.
20:11I think we're going to see quite a few goals in this one.
20:13I'm predicting a high-scoring 3-2 to England.
20:18I can see Kane grabbing one.
20:20I can see Sterling.
20:21I can see Foden.
20:22All the boys that you mentioned.
20:23And also for Croatia.
20:25Modric, Vlasic is still...
20:27He's a really good player.
20:28Moving on, though, to Scotland.
20:30How do you think they're going to get on against the Czech Republic?
20:33Austria versus North Macedonia.
20:36That's the other one.
20:37Second game.
20:38That's the second game.
20:38Scotland play tomorrow.
20:40Scotland are playing tomorrow.
20:41I thought they were playing today.
20:43Tomorrow, tomorrow.
20:45Anyway, my English prediction has to be heard.
20:49I think it's going to be a very low-scoring game.
20:51And I think Croatia will nick it.
20:55Because I'm sure Gareth Southgate doesn't know what team he's going to pick up.
20:59And Harry Maguire isn't there.
21:02And it's going to be 1-0 Croatia.
21:08The lights just went out for Sam Sheer as well.
21:14I think in your defence there,
21:17I think Austria versus North Macedonia kind of speaks for itself.
21:21Hence why it slipped your mind.
21:24It's not exactly the sexiest game of football, is it?
21:27Not at all.
21:27It'll probably be one of the best ones now that we've said that.
21:30It's 7-0 now, ain't it, see?
21:34For North Macedonia, it's a nostalgic game.
21:37They're the first ever in a major tournament.
21:39And for Austria, it is to show them the strength they possess.
21:44Because Austria are a very good team.
21:45They haven't played well in the last World Cup.
21:48But it is their time to shine and show the world that they're good enough as a team.
21:53Someone like David Alaba could be instrumental.
21:58Every team has earned the right to be at this tournament, you know?
22:02So now they've got to just put on a display and show why they're there.
22:08But North Macedonia beat Germany 2-1, right?
22:12So I don't want to write them off.
22:14They will actually give a fight to Austria.
22:15What was I saying?
22:16Like Austria should win.
22:17Absolutely not.
22:18I think North Macedonia will definitely give a fight.
22:20They can beat a team like Germany.
22:22Surely there's a game on there.
22:24Yeah, that's the beauty of football.
22:25You can't predict it.
22:26And I want all our predictions to go wrong.
22:28So that makes this game even more interesting.
22:31You're right.
22:32Absolutely.
22:33The Netherlands are playing today without Virgil van Dijk at the back.
22:36How are they going to get on?
22:41Well, I think that they've got enough strength throughout that squad.
22:43I think that they might not go all the way,
22:46but they'll comfortably get through their group
22:50and they'll make the knockout stages, no problem.
22:53And yeah, Virgil will be a big miss for them,
22:58as he has been for Liverpool all season.
23:01But there's a lot of strength and depth.
23:03You know, the Netherlands are more than just one player.
23:07They're right the way through.
23:09They've got brimming with talent all the way through that squad.
23:13And they'll cause a few upsets, I think,
23:16on the way to the latter stages of the knockouts.
23:21Well, they were doing all the right things under Ronald Koeman a year ago or so,
23:25before he moved to Barcelona.
23:28So the Dutch team, I'm sceptical about them,
23:31because it's down to the manager again.
23:36Because you know who's the manager.
23:38It's Frank De Boe.
23:40I don't know what to say.
23:42You remember his record when he was at Crystal Palace.
23:44I'll never forget that.
23:46Eight games, eight losses.
23:50It was less, Shamsir.
23:50It was less than that.
23:52It was less than that.
23:54So yes, the Dutch team has got some good players,
23:58like Memphis, Depay, Wijnaldum and all these players.
24:01But I'm sceptical about their manager.
24:04And I don't know.
24:04Because they were doing all the right things under Ronald Koeman,
24:07but it's all gone in vain under this guy.
24:09So I don't expect many good things about them.
24:11But I expect a lot of good things about Ukraine,
24:15especially with someone like Andrey Shevchenko,
24:18with all the experiences that he's got.
24:20He's their manager.
24:21And they have got players like Zinchenko,
24:24Yarmolenko, Malinovsky and all these players.
24:27I think Ukraine could surprise the Netherlands today.
24:34I'm with you.
24:34I think I agree with that.
24:36OK, that's all from us.
24:37Head to gulfnews.com to catch all the latest Euro 2020 news
24:40and match previews.
24:41And we'll be back in the morning to see how Milo
24:44go on against Croatia and all the other games playing today.
24:47Last but not least,
24:48our thoughts and prayers are with Christian Eriksen and his family.
24:50We all hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.
24:53See you tomorrow.
24:55See you.
24:56Cheers, guys.