Good afternoon and welcome to LIVE coverage of Denmark vs Finland in the opening game for Group B of the European Championship. KO 17:00 BST Denmark and Finland are both aiming to start Euro 2020 with a win as they face off at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen this evening. The Nordic Derby carries an extra tinge of poignancy for Finland, who today begin their first major tournament in history. With Belgium obvious favourites to top Group B both teams will no doubt be eyeing a second position finish to secure comfortable progression into the knockout stages. Team news to follow shortly.
Euro 2024 / Group Stage
Parken / 12.06.2021
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- J. Pohjanpalo(60')
Live
Live Updates
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Updated 12/06/2021 at 20:35 GMT+1
7'
Denmark
Chance for Denmark. Wind shoots from long range and his venomous shot is palmed wide by Hradecky.
6'
Denmark
Good pressure from Denmark. Eriksen's corner tests the Finland back line as Braithwaite's rebound shot is fumbled by Hradecky.
4'
Finland
Foul given as Braithwaite is taken down by Lod. The Finnish player is booked in the opening ten minutes. Not ideal for Finland.
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Yellow card
R. Lod
Finland
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Yellow Cards1
3'
Finland
Finland starting brightly here. Chance for a long throw into the box delivered by O'Shaughnessy.
1st Half
1'
Denmark
And we're off! Denmark get things underway.
17:00
Today's game will be refereed by Anthony Taylor.
16:58
Denmark
Hands on badges, scarves out stretched and flags waving proudly as Denmark stand for their anthem.
16:58
The players line up to hear their national anthems for the opening game of the tournament.
16:51
Less than 10 minutes until things kick off here in Copenhagen. Not the full amass of crowds that we're used to, but both the Danish and Finnish fans are revelling in the electric atmosphere here at Parken Stadium.
16:41
It is fair to say it will be a tall order for Finland to scalp a win against an already confident Danish squad, and the home soil advantage is likely to make it an even tougher challenge. That said, the Nordic rivalry and opening match excitement could provide a healthily competitive jostle.
16:38
Denmark
These stats speak for themselves on the brilliance of Christian Eriksen in a Denmark shirt. The Inter Milan midfielder scored five goals and served three assists in eight qualifying games for Denmark. Impact.
16:34
Finland
Despite Pukki's fine form, Finland have lost four and drawn two of their last six games. Will today be a different story for the Nordic side's first ever Euro opener?
16:30
Finland
Finland’s tournament success has so far been heavily dominated by the talent of forward Teemu Pukki, with the Norwich player netting 10 goals in qualifying.
With it being Finland’s first ever major tournament, Markku Kanerva’s side have much less pressure to perform than their Nordic rivals but come to Copenhagen with plenty of talent and experience.
16:29
Denmark
Manager Kasper Hjulmand has been a breath of fresh air for the Danish squad, who are finally settling into Hjulmand’s philosophy that encourages attacking full-backs and possession-based football.
Denmark will no doubt be relying on their big names to carry through the good form they have been boasting on the world stage in the last year. The likes of Eriksen, Hojbjerg, and Braithwaite will be likely to cause Finland the most issues this evening.
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Image credit: Getty Images
16:26
Finland
Teemu Pukki played 30 minutes in Finland’s last friendly match, ending fears that his ankle injury may affect this summer's championship. The Norwich forward starts today and is also joined by captain Tim Sparv, who was spared an appearance in Finland's recent defeat to Estonia.
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Image credit: Getty Images
16:21
Denmark
Denmark's starting eleven is roughly as predicted. With a fully fit squad Hjulmand had a relatively straightforward selection. A wealth of experience and quality in Eriksen, Hojbjerg and Delaney will be bolstering the Danish midfield today.
16:15
A formal breakdown of the team news:
DENMARK: Schmeichel, Wass, Kjær, Christensen, Mæhle, Højbjerg, Eriksen, Delaney, Yurary, Wind, Braithwaite /// FINLAND: Hrádecký, O’Shaughnessy, Arajuuri, Toivio, Uronen, Kamara, Sparv, Lod, Raitala, Pukki, Pohjanpalo.
16:11
Finland
And here is Finland's starting 11..
16:09
Denmark
This is how Denmark will line up this evening..