Christian Eriksen’s goal in his return to the Euros three years after his cardiac arrest served as the headlining act of Sunday’s action at the competition when several heavy hitters played their first games of the competition. That includes the Netherlands, who came from behind to beat Poland, and England, who escaped Serbia’s comeback efforts to win their opening match in Germany.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s action.
Euro 2024 scores for Sunday
- Poland 1, Netherlands 2
- Denmark 1, Slovenia 1
- Serbia 0, England 1
England 1, Serbia 0: England survive poor second half
England, one of the tournament favorites, had an uneven start to the Euros campaign with a 1-0 win over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. The Three Lions got off to a quick start when Jude Bellingham continued his breakout year with his first goal for England in a major international tournament, scoring a header in the 13th minute off of a cross from Bukayo Saka.
Serbia clawed their way back into the game and played a nearly even game, outshooting England six to five in the process. The match was short on quality chances as both teams had big misses and forced major saves out of goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Predrag Rajkovic, but another goal never came. England may have come out of the outing with three points and a first-place spot in their group, but there may be questions about their ability to go the distance at Euro 2024.
Denmark 1, Slovenia 1: Eriksen scores on return
Denmark and Slovenia shared the spoils in Stuttgart with goals neither national will be quick to forget.
The opening goal of the game came in the 17th minute courtesy of Denmark’s Eriksen, who scored from close range. The goal marked a triumphant return for Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest three years ago during Denmark’s 1-0 loss to Finland at the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020. He returned to the game in February 2022 after being fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm.
Denmark were in charge for most of the match but were inefficient with their chances, allowing Slovenia to work their way back into the match. A late flurry of chances led to Erik Janza’s equalizer in the 72nd minute, which was a long-distance shot from a set piece. It was a major moment for the team, who are back at the Euros for the first time since 2000.
Netherlands 2, Poland 1: Weghorst rescues the Netherlands
Wout Weghorst’s 83rd-minute goal ensured the Netherlands would pick up all three points in their opening match of the Euros, allowing his side to come from behind after going down early.
Poland, who were without star striker Robert Lewandowski for much of the match with injury, threw a wrench in the Netherlands’ plans just 16 minutes in when Adam Buksa expertly scored off a set piece. It didn’t take long for the Dutch to level the score, though, with Cody Gakpo scoring from just outside the penalty area in the 29th minute.
The Dutch maintained an attack-first strategy throughout and were dominant for much of the match, boasting 70% of possession and taking 21 shots. They were mostly wasteful with their chances, putting just four on frame — fewer than Poland, who took 12 shots but put seven on target.
Weghorst’s reputation as a super sub came in handy for the Netherlands, though, and just two minutes after he came on, the forward notched the go-ahead goal. The quickly-taken strike from close range was Weghorst’s first touch of the game and finally gave the Dutch the advantage they had been looking for for nearly 70 minutes.
How things stand
Group C
- England, 3 points (+1)
- Denmark, 1 point (0)
- Slovenia, 1 point (0)
- Serbia, 0 points (-1)
Group D
- Netherlands, 3 points (+1)
- Austria, 0 points (0)
- France, 0 points (0)
- Poland, 0 points (-1)
Goal of the day
Slovenia ensured their first match at the Euros since 2000 would end in style, courtesy of Erik Janza’s equalizer against Denmark in the 77th minute. His side earned a corner and though at first they did not succeed, Janza’s run towards the ball and his one-touch strike from outside the penalty area meant Slovenia’s return to the continental competition would be complete with a memorable moment.
Player of the day
If there’s anything the last year has taught us, it’s that this is Jude Bellingham’s world and we’re all just living in it. That was once again the case on Sunday, when the youngster translated his star-making form for Real Madrid into an important performance for England with the game’s lone goal. The Three Lions may have to go back to the drawing board in terms of their tactical approach but as long as Bellingham’s there, they will always have a shot at winning.
Must-see moment
Few things will be as universally celebrated as Christian Eriksen’s return to the Euros, exchanging the previous memory of his cardiac arrest on the pitch for the feelings of joy scoring goals inspires. The fact that Eriksen can play the game again, and do so at a high level for club and country, will never go unappreciated for the player himself as well as his many well-wishers over the last several years.
Monday’s schedule
All times Eastern
All games are available on Fubo (try for free).
- Romania vs. Ukraine, 9 a.m. on Vix (preview)
- Belgium vs. Slovakia, 12 p.m. on FS1 (preview)
- Austria vs. France, 3 p.m. on Fox (preview)
What happened on Saturday?
Ten goals were scored across three games on Saturday as the oddsmakers’ favorites each won their matches in style. Switzerland picked up the first win of the day in a 3-1 win over Hungary, while Spain trounced Croatia 3-0 in one of the most anticipated matchups of the group stage. The day’s biggest surprise, though, came when Albania scored just 23 seconds into their match against Italy. The advantage was shortlived, though — Italy equalized 10 minutes later through Alessandro Bastoni and by the 16th minute, Nicolo Barrella scored the final goal fo the game to give the reigning champions a 2-1 win.
