The striker delivered a message of support for his Inter team-mate after nabbing the first goal of his country’s Euro 2020 campaign
Romelu Lukaku paid tribute to Christian Eriksen after his opening goal for Belgium at Euro 2020 against Russia, dedicating his finish to the Denmark international following his collapse against Finland on Saturday.
The Inter forward delivered a message of support for his club team-mate in St. Petersburg after rattling home an early strike against the hosts inside the first quarter-hour.
Lukaku and Eriksen helped the Nerazzurri to a first Serie A title in over a decade this season, and were expected to face each other in five days in Copenhagen before the latter was rushed to hospital.
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What did Lukaku say?
After latching onto Dries Mertens’ delivery inside the box – played onside by a deflection off a Russian defender – the striker was able to corral a cool shot past Anton Shunin to open his account for the tournament.
Racing towards the sidelines, he waved away his team-mates coming to join him, instead heading for the nearest television camera to seize it with both hands and shout into its lens: “Chris, Chris, I love you.”
The forward then vaulted away, mobbed by his fellow Red Devils as they celebrated their early lead on the road.
What happened in Denmark?
Eriksen was taken to hospital after collapsing during the first half of Denmark’s Group B clash with Finland, having slumped to the turf untouched.
Medics ultimately resuscitated him on-site after a lengthy interval, during which the player’s team-mates shielded him while their opponents and the crowd voiced their support.
The fixture was eventually resumed, following confirmation that the former Tottenham man was awake and in a stable condition. Finland would emerge as 1-0 victors in their first major tournament thanks to Joel Pohjanpalo’s goal just before the hour mark.
Further reading
- Eriksen stable after collapse on pitch
- ‘Eriksen spoke to Denmark players’
- Football world offers support to Eriksen
