MARTIN BRAITHWAITE

Denmark played for the first time since Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during a European Championship match and lost to Belgium 2-1.

Denmark Euro 2020 Soccer Danish players Martin Braithwaite, left, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg attend a press conference, in Elsinore, Denmark, Monday, June 14, 2021. Eriksen spoke to his teammates via video link on Sunday, which all three of his teammates said was an important boost as they try to re-focus on the Euro 2020 tournament. “It gives you the feeling that it’s OK to move forward,” Hojbjerg said. “We really want to play on Thursday, to play for Christian and to play for everyone who has supported us.”The team trained on Monday after the players were given Sunday off to process the incident. “I turned around and I saw Christian lying there.

Christian Eriksen has told his Denmark teammates to look forward to their European Championship game against Belgium on Thursday.

Slovakia capitalized on a second-half red card and got a goal from Milan Skriniar in a 2-1 victory over Poland at the European Championship.

Barcelona will play the final after defeating Real Sociedad 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1-1. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)BARCELONA – It’s no coincidence that Pedri González conjures up those flashes of exquisite playmaking brilliance that Barcelona fans have been longing for since the days of Andrés Iniesta. Like Iniesta, Pedri is silky smooth with the ball on his feet, with his dribbling and passing in tight spaces. Pedri has scored three goals this season, but it is his passing and footwork with the ball that has set him apart. Twice this season, Pedri has produced no-look flicks with the back of his heel to roll the ball behind to set up Lionel Messi for goals.

The reserve/COVID-19 list is either for players who have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who has. ___Italian basketball team Olimpia Milano has suspended all team activity after “numerous” members of the squad tested positive for the coronavirus. ___The Danish soccer federation has put eight national team players and some staff members in quarantine after two positive tests for COVID-19. Robert Skov of German club Hoffenheim is one of the people who tested positive. ___European qualifying in December for the Women's Rugby World Cup next year in New Zealand has been postponed.