The Eurocup started with scares, and terrible ones, on the pitch. Eriksen's in Denmark-Finland is joined by the tremendous blow between Castagne and Kuzyayev in the 24th minute of Belgium-Russia. Both players had to be treated after the tremendous impact and were substituted, for Meunier Y Cheryshev, respectively. The referee of the meeting, Mateu lahoz, decided to stop the game so that both players were taken care of. Minutes later the substitutions took place.
Roberto Martinez confirms Timothy Castagne has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament. Very unfortunate news #bel
– James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) June 12, 2021
Kuzyayev received a bulky bandage and Castagne retired with a disturbing blow to the cheekbone and an ice pack. Later, after the match, the Belgian coach himself, Roberto Martínez, confirmed that the Belgian midfielder from Leicester will be out for the remainder of the European Championship.: suffers a double fracture of the right cheekbone and has to be operated on.
Roberto Martínez: “There were tears in the dressing room” by Eriksen
The Spanish Roberto Martinez, selector of Belgium, admitted that in his team's dressing room “there were tears” when the players learned of the fainting of the Danish Christian Eriksen during the game against Finland.
“There were tears. It was very sad. We saw everything live five minutes before meeting to prepare for the game. You can imagine, the last thing we wanted was to talk about football, “Martinez said at the press conference after the match against Russia (3-0) at the Krestovski stadium.
He recalled that in the “red devils” there are several players who share or shared a dressing room with the Danish, as is the case of Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan.
“It was a difficult time in St. Petersburg. I can't imagine what it was like in Copenhagen.. We wish him, his family and the Danish team the best. We will pray for him, “he stressed.
As for the possibility that the match against Russia had been suspended, he said: “I am only the coach. These are things that are not in my power.”
Regarding the victory over the Russians, he highlighted the role of Meunier in the victory, since he scored a goal and gave the third pass, despite being a substitute.
“Meunier has been impressive. His behavior as a teammate has been exemplary. That is the quality of the group. All 26 players are willing to do whatever it takes for the team, “he stressed.
Cherchesov: “The European Championship does not end in a game”
The Russian coach, Stanislav Cherchesov, said today that, despite the clear defeat against Belgium (3-0), the Eurocup “does not end in a game.”
“The result is in sight on the scoreboard. There is nothing to say,” Cherchesov said at the post-match press conference at the Krestovsky Stadium.
Cherchesov considered that his team started well, but the conceded goal truncated their plans.
“We received a goal out of nowhere, which influenced our game and, what I liked least, our morale.”, he claimed.
Once the Belgians took the lead on the scoreboard, “it was already very difficult to take the ball from them.”
“We modified the system in the second half, but we did not create clear chances,” he said.
Be that as it may, he insisted that “the tournament does not end in a match” and that his team will try to defeat Finland on June 16, which today beat Denmark (1-0) in Copenhagen.
The Russian coach did not like the question about why his team did not kneel to denounce racism, as did Belgium, whose footballers were whistled by the Russian fans when they knelt before the kickoff.
“That question has nothing to do with football,” he snapped at the reporter.