Lukaku hugged the Danish coach immediately after the siren: “I am forever grateful to them”

“The character the Danes showed today was great. They deserved more,” Lukaku said after the match on Danish TV3. Hjolmand not only hugged but also hugged players like Kasper Schmeichel and Thomas Delaney. “I told Hjolmand that I really respect them as men. I am forever grateful to them for saving Christian’s life. He is a good friend.”

Lukaku also noted that he thought a lot about Eriksen during the match. “In the first half I had to stifle my feelings. It was hard to play. After the break I woke up and it made a difference.”

The Danish coach said at the press conference that Kasper Hjolmand admired Lukaku. “He is a wonderful person and a good friend of Eriksen. He tells me he is grateful we saved Christian’s life. Football is one of the most beautiful things in the world: it transcends religions and borders. We feel connected, and we belong to the same football family.”

“Today I am only disappointed with the result,” Hejolmand added. “I didn’t know what to expect from this match, but I’m very proud of my team: the quality they showed, just days after almost losing one of their best friends. It’s unbelievable, they totally controlled the best team in the world. I have a lot of respect for my players and they have I already told them. Also thanks everyone for all the support we’ve received. It means a lot to us. Christian still has some tough weeks ahead, but we’re here for him. We’re going to beat these Russians, this European Championship isn’t over for us yet. We were ready for this emotional match. , especially when we heard the national anthem. We used that tremendous energy that was on the field. The players were very strong from the start.”

Lukaku: “The dramatic first half”

Despite the Danes’ strength in the first half, the Red Devils were pretty bad. Lukaku realized that, too. “We were dramatic in the first half, you have to say it like it is,” the Red Devils’ top scorer told Spurza. “We couldn’t keep up with the balls. He was better in the second half. But things should not always be negative, we also played in difficult conditions. It is not easy to play football with such an audience.”

This dramatic first half contrasted sharply with the easy victory over Russia. Put your feet back on the ground. “I wouldn’t call it a wake-up call, because we didn’t get lost. But it was a test to see what we were in, and we passed that test. Now we have to keep going. From now on, it’s going to be fun for us, and gradually everyone will come back and get to their level. Competition for certain places, and that raises the bar.”