Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had heard the words echo through Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium countless times over his decade-long international career: “We are red. We are white. We stand together side by side.”
But as the Danes closed out a 4-1 win over Russia on Monday to secure a place in the European Championship knockout round — against the odds, in the wake of unthinkable hardship — Schmeichel contemplated that message of unity on a deeper level.
Nine days earlier, on the same field, Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen went into cardiac arrest and collapsed during the team’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland.