An early Memphis Depay penalty and a Denzel Dumfries goal gave the Netherlands a convincing 2-0 victory over Austria on Thursday and a place in the Euro 2020 last-16 as group C winners. The Dutch cannot be overtaken at the head of the standings after a second win while Austria’s hopes rest on the result of their last match against Ukraine. The 11th-minute spot-kick provided an early platform for the home side and flying full back Dumfries proved a popular scorer at the Johan Cruyff Arena as he doubled the tally in the 67th minute with his second goal in as many matches. Dumfries had netted the dramatic late winner as the Dutch edged Ukraine 3-2 on Sunday but there was less of a frenetic feel this time as they coasted through the match. England vs Scotland: Paul Gascoigne, Euro 96 and the Hong Kong Dentist’s Chair – where are they now? They were awarded the penalty after Dumfries was caught on the foot by Austrian captain David Alba on the corner of the penalty area. But it was only given after referee Orel Grinfeeld consulted the pitchside VAR monitor, with Depay dispatching spot-kick powerfully underneath the diving Daniel Bachman. Depay had two more first-half chances to add to his tally, hitting the side netting with snap effort after another Alaba mistake and conjuring up a horror miss five minutes before the break. Attack partner Wout Weghorst played a square ball in for the unmarked Depay at the back post, but he rushed the effort and skied his side-footed effort wide. The second goal came after Donyell Malen beat the offside trap and unselfishly played in the charging Dumfries, whose finish was enthusiastically celebrated by his team mates and the 16,000-strong crowd. Manuel Locatelli, Ciro Immobile fire Italy to last-16 as Wales deliver against Turkey “It’s starting to feel like a fairytale. We are really growing, it feels good,” Dumfries said. “We controlled the game and dominated all aspects and deserved the win.” Elsewhere on Thursday, Denmark’s game against Belgium was interrupted after 10 minutes to allow players and supporters at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium to take part in a round of applause for Christian Eriksen. The 29-year-old Denmark midfielder is recovering in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing on the pitch during Saturday’s group B game against Finland. A section of fans in the roughly 25,000 crowd held up a banner reading “All of Denmark is with you, Christian” as the referee briefly halted the match with Denmark leading 1-0 through a second-minute goal from Yussuf Poulsen. A huge flag in the shape of a Danish shirt with Eriksen’s name and number 10 was unfurled on the pitch before kick-off, while Denmark captain Simon Kjaer received a framed Belgium shirt signed by the squad. “This tragedy woke up Denmark. We’re a small country and we stick together when someone we love is suffering,” said Thomas Andersen, a 44-year-old supporter. “The whole city of Copenhagen is full of supporters. It’s so great to see, it’s very moving.” The walls of the fan zone are painted with messages of support for Eriksen, the effect of Saturday’s traumatic scenes felt across the capital. Even the Rigshospitalet where Eriksen remains under observation, barely a kilometre from the Parken ground, is draped in several flags. The Danish Football Union (DBU) said earlier on Thursday that Eriksen would have a heart defibrillator implanted after undergoing a series of tests. “After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter),” the Danish FA said in a statement on Twitter. “This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances,” it added. The DBU provided no details on the potential consequences for the Inter Milan player’s future career. For Bo Holbek, a surgeon who came as a supporter, he thinks it’s unlikely Eriksen will be able to return. “It will be a big loss for football both in Denmark and Europe,” he said. In the absence of their star playmaker Denmark fell to a second defeat in as many games on Thursday, as Belgium recovered from a goal down to win 2-1. Kasper Hjulmand’s side must now beat Russia in their final match to have any hope of scraping though. In Thursday’s earlier match, Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk both scored again as the pair netted a goal each in the first half to give Ukraine a 2-1 victory over North Macedonia. The same two players also scored in the team’s opening match at Euro 2020 on Sunday, but that ended in a 3-2 loss to the Netherlands. Yarmolenko netted from close range in 29th minute after Oleksandr Karavaev’s flick from a corner. He then released Yaremchuk on the right flank in the 34th to double the lead with a low shot past onrushing goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Ukraine now have three points in group C while North Macedonia have none and face elimination from the tournament. Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press
