‘Losing faith’: Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were unable to find their rhythm as Denmark slumped to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Germany to crash out of Euro 2024 in the round of 16
Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund were unable to establish their rhythm as Denmark lost 2-0 to Germany, crashing out of Euro 2024 in the round of 16.
Following a hard-fought first half, Denmark seemed resolute, refusing to let Germany’s attacking team hit the back of the net despite the momentum swinging heavily in the hosts’ favour.
Just five minutes after the half, it appeared like the Danes had taken an improbable lead against the flow of play. Eriksen took a fantastic free kick, passing the ball to Jannik Vestergaard, who knocked it into the other end of the penalty area. While Joachim Andersen managed to score, VAR ruled the goal offside.
This moment demonstrated Eriksen’s significant involvement in his team’s attacking build-ups, with three vital passes in all. Aside from these instances, Eriksen struggled with accuracy, completing only 70% of his passes (35/50), one of six crosses, and two of three long balls.
Eriksen’s physicality fell short, as he lost his sole duel of the game and was dispossessed 22 times, the most of any player on either team.
Hojlund performed significantly better in the physical aspect, but still fell short, winning four of nine ground duels and two of four aerial battles. He also lost possession on eleven other occasions.
With just 30 touches, the striker completed an incredible 11 of 14 passes. Naturally, he was unable to attempt any crosses or long balls, which is understandable given his position as a target man.
Hojlund had his fair share of scoring opportunities. He took four shots in total, but most of them were wasted.
With two attempts on goal, Hojlund had one great opportunity that he ultimately missed.
Hojlund was one-on-one with the goalie after breaking through the German defence following a cross. Despite being somewhat to the left of the goalposts, he failed to take use of the generous amount of space he had, firing directly at the keeper and making his job as easy as possible.
Although he was able to complete one tackle, defending was not a top concern for Denmark’s target man, especially given his inability to offer a serious goal threat.
Unfortunately, it was a night to forget for Eriksen and Hojlund, who both had uneven performances. Hopefully, they will concentrate on recognising and correcting their mistakes as they prepare to return to Manchester United ahead of the new season.
