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Erikson's early goal lit the game up
Christian Eriksen rushed onto Jonas Wind's clever flick to smash the opening goal on 17 minutes, but Slovenia struck late to grab a point.
Eriksen was the major force in the game – producing one of his best displays in a Denmark shirt – coming full circle since the dramatic collapse in his country’s opening game of Euro 2020 against Finland. Today he delivered a man-of-the-match display, even if it wasn’t quite enough to secure three points.
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Danish dominance not quite enough
Despite controlling the game for the first half, and much of the second, the Danes struggled to break down a determined Slovenia who were playing in their first major tournament for since 2010. As Matjaž Kek, Slovenia’s Head coach put it in the post-match press conference:
“When a goalkeeper like Jan Oblak only has to save one big chance, that says a lot about the performance."
Eventually, the Danes were made to pay for not getting the second goal. As Kasper Hjulmand, the Danish head coach, reflected:
“Sometimes when you're up 1-0 and don't score the second goal, something happens in you. That's why it's so important to get the second, and you know football, when you don't score the second goal, some disappointing things can happen.”
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Šeško's time will come
In the second half, Slovenia grew into the game, with striker Benjamin Šeško looking dangerous, including an excellent long-range effort that smashed against the post.
The RB Leipzig star didn’t see lots of the ball but flickered as the major threat. Denmark who are very familiar with this Slovenia team – they met twice in qualifying – had clearly determined to limit Sesko’s opportunity, fouling him more than anyone else in the game (4 times).
He may yet make his mark later in the tournament. Moments after he hit the bar, the vociferous Slovenia fans were sent into delirium as Erik Janza's powerful effort deflected past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel with 13 minutes left.
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The fans did their part
Neither team could quite take the opportunity to win, and both managers reflected that they were broadly happy. In particular, recognising the fantastic atmosphere created by supporters in the Stuttgart Arena.
As Hjulmand explained:
“It was a great place to play, we loved it here. The 20,000 Danish fans and many Slovenian fans made it great, and the locals too of course. We really enjoyed it; I can't wait for the next game."
For their next game, Denmark will take on group favourites England in Frankfurt, whilst Slovenia travel to Munich next to take on Serbia. Both games are on Thursday.
