Handshakes all round for Slovenia, as they get their campaign off with a really good result.

One win from the last two will guarantee qualification. The same goes for Denmark, but that hurts their ambitions of winning the group.

Slovenia were well worth it. Denmark disappointing after a good first half.

 

 

00:51,90′

FULL TIME – Slovenia 1-1 Denmark

Slovenia threaten but Schmeichel rushes out his goal to clear.

A decent point for Slovenia, this, who have continued their good form. Not a great start for Denmark.

A couple of late changes with Sesko and Sporar going off. Brekalo and Kurtic on.

And there’s the whistle!

00:49,90

Slovenia 1-1 Denmark

A Denmark cross goes in and threatens to creep inside the far post but it doesn’t.

Moments left for Denmark to find something.

Norgaard crosses, it’s headed away.

00:47,90′

TV cameras have just cut to a Denmark fan in the crowd who you can clearly see muttering ‘come on, come on’ to himself.

Delaney is on for Denmark. Hjulmand off.

Four minutes added on.

00:45,89′

 

Slovenia 1-1 Denmark

Denmark work it well to give Hjulmand a chance but it’s easy for Oblak.

Slovenia now though have the chance to put the bal in from a free kick. It’s cleared. Poulsen tries to break but slaps his head after an awful pass.

Another cross goes in and Verbic heads wide.

VAR are checking for a penalty, but absolutely not.

00:41,86′

 

Slovenia 1-1 Denmark

A triple change for Denmark. Hojlund, Wind, Hojbjerg off, Poulsen, Dolberg, Norgaard on.

A yellow card too for Celar for stopping a counter but he will take it.

Some urgency from Denmark, finally.

Slovenia 1-1 Denmark

Kristiansen came off for Maehle in the chaos after the goal.

The roof has come off. A result that probably benefits England, this would be.

Denmark will now be tested as we are heading for the first upset of the tournament.

Oblak gathers from Vestergaard from a corner.

Sporar now, side netting! Slovenia have been great in this second half.

00:35

We are level!

They have been pestering and pestering and are well worth the goal.

The corner comes in and falls to Janza on the bounce on the edge of the box.

He lets fly, and it takes a deflection, leaving Schmeichel nowhere near it. Absolute scenes.

 

 

 

00:34,77′

 

GOAL! Slovenia 1-1 Denmark (Janza)

SESKO! OFF THE POST!

It’s almost a mirror image of the first half. He lets fly from, what 30 yards? Schmeichel is nowhere near it and it’s off the post.

 

Sporar hooks it wide! I’m not sure how he’s managed that. Looked way easier to score. Slovenia can only blame themselves today!

A double change for them now. Elsnik and Mlakar off, Stankovic and Celar on.

00:27,71′

Sesko is doing his best to make something happen and Verbic goes down but the referee waves play on.

This time Sesko wins a free kick. I’ve been impressed by him.

One of Slovenia’s coaching staff has been booked. Wanted a card, I think.

00:25,69′

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

And then another good chance at the other end! You cannot say Slovenia haven’t had them.

The cross comes in and Cerin gets up well but can’t get his header on target. Should be doing better.

Slovenia, meanwhile, make a change. Stojanovic off, Verbic on.

Eriksen fires over.

00:23,66′

Wake up! It’s so nearly two.

Oblak keeps his side in the game and may have hurt himself doing so.

It’s a low cross from Kristiansen and it meets Hojland close to goal. Oblak makes himself big and keeps the effort out.

He’s still not moving well, but he’s fine.

A little bit of a quiet period now as the clocks ticks past the hour mark.

Slovenia fans are still in full voice. A party atmosphere in the ground – they’re doing their best to spur their team on.

00:12,56′

Another yellow card, this time for Slovenia and Stojanovic. He trips Hojbjerg, hard to show a card I think.

Eriksen whips in the free kick looking for Christensen but it comes off Bijol and goes wide. Just. And he knew nothing about it.

Bah this time is fouled. Eriksen in again. Low, and cleared.

00:09,53′

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

That’s a decent chance for Slovenia. The cross goes in and Sporar misses it just. Elsnik then stops his run and may have got on the end of it had he carried it on.

It was a long throw that caused the problem. Another comes in and it’s across goal again!

Sporar is on the floor having been kicked by Abdersen and we have a penalty check…

Check over.

 

Hojlund gets the chance to stretch his legs but Slovenia recover well.

Denmark get sloppy now and suddenly Slovenia rush out. Hjulmand stops the counter and receives the first yellow card of the game.

It was Sesko who was chasing.

 

00:02,46′

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

The second half is underway.

No changes at the break for either side.

 

‘They hadn’t anticipated Denmark going direct’

Gary Neville, ITV:

I was thinking, ‘Hallelujah’. They set up so compact, Denmark had a lot of possession. We talked about Sesko before the game, we think it’s in.

Joleon Lescott, ITV:

They hadn’t anticipated Denmark going direct. Hojlund sets it off and from the throw is where it comes from.

Eni Aluko, ITV:

They were falling asleep. A perfect flick from Wind, but that does not happen unless Eriksen makes the run. Great goal.

Social media is smiling just as much as the man himself after his goal, it seems.

A nice moment.

 

HALF TIME – Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Denmark look to counter from a Slovenia free kick but their opponents get men back. Eriksen is fouled though on the attack and that’s not gone down well with those in attendance.

Just the one minute added on at the end of that half. And there’s the whistle.

23:43,44

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Fans call for Eriksen to shoot from about 40 yards and he does. Why not? Wind was free on the left is one reason.

The Danes are ending the half well with some good possession. Good persistence from Wind gifts Eriksen a chance but he snatches at it and skies it with his left. Great chance.

23:40,40′

 

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

The Slovenia fans are still in full voice. Their tournament won’t depend on this game, but there is still a long way to go nonetheless.

Bah has to concede a corner. They fail to make the most of it once again.

Eriksen finds himself in space on the left and lets fly but it’s blocked.

It’s been a decent defensive performance from Slovenia so far.

23:36,37′

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Eriksen’s cross is good and is heading for Hojlund but Bijol gets there first.

The Manchester United midfielder is absoltely running the show so far. His latest corner is kept alive by Kristiansen but Hojbjerg recovers well to get Denmark the ball back.

I feel like Slovenia would almost be better off just man marking him no matter where he goes, to be honest.

23:3

Riath Al-Samarrai, Mail Sport, in Stuttgart:

Thomas Gravesen in March: ‘The Christian Eriksen we all know, he is no longer there. Christian Eriksen doesn’t play football anymore. Christian Eriksen sits on the bench and watches football.’Eriksen in June: puts Denmark 1-0 up in Euros with excellent finish.

 

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Not a bad chance for Slovenia but they just can’t get it to stick up front and Schmeichel gathers.

Sporar with the chance to run on the right but his decision making is poor and Denmark can clear easily.

Nothing from them in attack yet bar that Sesko effort early on.

2

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Eriksen fizzes a ross in and Sesko tries to clear but it hits Mlakar and goes narrowly past his own post!

Vestergaard gets up from the resulting corner but heads wide.

Riath Al-Samarrai, Mail Sport, in Stuttgart:

Lovely goal by Denmark. Simple and brilliant at the same time, starting with a quick throw, a nice flick from Wind and a chest-to-volley from Eriksen.They have looked strong so far, which will no doubt be noted by Gareth Southgate, though England’s analysts will possibly also observe they are vulnerable to bursts behind the wingbacks. On that, Kristiansen and Bah have flipped flanks a couple of times already.

 

Slovenia 0-1 Denmark

Slovenia try and come back and earn themselves a corner. It’s vital to make the most of these kind of situations but the cross is deep and the shot is then wide.

What a moment for Eriksen. Considered the best Dane of his generation, he has delivered on an emotional day.

 

Eriksen gives Denmark the lead!

Denmark have their opener and it’s a fine goal.

They move it quickly from a throw and Slovenia aren’t set. Wind controls it and plays in Eriksen behind him, who chests the ball and fires it home from the edge of the six-yard box.

1,100 days later. He marks his return to the Euros with a fine goal.

 

 

GOAL! Slovenia 0-1 Denmark (Eriksen)

More pissession for Kristiansen on the left. You get that oopportunity in the back three system.

Ouch. Bijol has just gone straight through the back of Wind and the referee wants a word. Bad tackle, lucky to avoid a card.

From nowhere! That’s the closest we’ve come. Sesko gets his first sniff and lets fly, but it’s just wide of Schmeichel’s post.

BUT WE HAVE A GOAL! AND IT IS THAT MAN ON HIS RETURN!

Eriksen feeds Hojlund, who then plays Bah, but the cross is blocked by Janza and Denmark win a corner.

We’ve seen a lot of success with short corners so far but this one is into the box and cleared.

Cerin gives away a foul this time and Eriksen puts the free kick in, but Christensen heads over.

23:08,9′

 

Slovenia 0-0 Denmark

A long ball finds Wind and it looks to be a good chance but the flag is up.

Replays show he was probably onside. Good chance, in that case.

 

Slovenia 0-0 Denmark

It’s Christensen in the middle of the back three for Denmark. Andersen right, Vestergaard left.

It’s attack versus defence to get us started, to be honest. I think you could count on one hand the amount of touches Slovenia have had so far.

They come forward now however and Andersen has to clear. The attack fades with a foul by Cerin on Eriksen.

23:03,4′

Slovenia 0-0 Denmark

Denmark start with the possession and Eriken is involve. A ball goes into the box but it’s just about cleared by a white shirt.

A lot of the ball for Kristiansen on the left. Slovenia get the ball up the field, but it’s coming straight back.

A break in play as Hojlund goes down hurt, losing his boot.

 

23:00,1′

KICK-OFF – Slovenia 0-0 Denmark

Both the goalkeepers are the captains today.

Oblak I think wins the toss, and Slovenia get us underway.

 

 

Here come the teams!

Here we go, then. The teams are on their ways out in Stuttgart and kick-off is a matter a moments away.

The anthems first. Some decent tunes, but nothing on Italy’s yesterday, I can’t lie.

We are ready.

22:5

Eriksen’s return

1,100 days. That’s how long ago it was that football nearly lost one of its stars on the pitch.

With a lot of work from medical staff and Christian Eriksen himself, he is now fit and well, and still playing at the top level.

Eriksen doesn’t strike me as the emotional type, but he may shed a tear or two when he walks out today.

 

It’s not good reading for Slovenia fans.

These two sides have faced each other six times in the past, and Denmark have won five of those games.

The other was a draw, and that came in qualifying for this tournament, actually. It was 1-1, and Denmark won the other 2-1.

Other results include 3-0, 4-0 and 2-0, all in favour of Denmark.

 

 

The players get warm

On the pitch, the players have been getting warm as they prepare to get their tournaments underway.

This is the second game of the day, with The Netherlands edging past Poland earlier. None of the so-called bigger sides have failed to win yet, so we will see what happens here.

*Don’t think about later, don’t think about later, don’t think about later*

 

 

 

 

Slovenia and Denmark fans make themselves heard

In Stuttgart, meanwhile, everything is rosy.

Kick-off is still half-hour away, but fans of both sides have been enjoying themselves.

Take a look at some of the scenes. This is what the Euros is about.

 

 

 

 

22:25

England fan trouble

I appreciate this game isn’t exactly the main attraction tonight.

England will get underway against Serbia in, what, three-and-a-half hours time. But there has unfortunately been fan trouble on the streets of Germany prior to the game

If you want the latest on that, check our home page or follow our live blog below with Harry Bamforth.

Serbia vs England – Euro 2024: Live score, team news and updatesFollow Mail Sport’s live blog for England vs Serbia for all the build-up, live score and action from the Group stage of Euro 2024.Mail Online

EURO 2024 – TEAM GUIDE: Denmark

Having only narrowly missed out on the final last time around, Denmark will look to go again here.

Just four players from that defeat by England three years ago start here, but the squad is still stacked with familair names.

Replicating their 1992 win is unlikely, but they will be keen to give a good account of themselves. Probably England’s biggest threats to win the group.

 

 

EURO 2024 – TEAM GUIDE: Slovenia

In the last 12 months, Slovenia have lost only two matches. They are yet to lose a game in 2024 and are now set to take part in only their second European Championship in their history.

But this is a different kettle of fish. The big leagues, the big boys.

Key man Sesko will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting but they have a goalkeeper that can keep them in games too.

Under Matjaz Kek, who is with Slovenia for his second spell in charge, they will have hope of success. In this format, it only takes one win to give teams really good chances of getting out the group.

Click below for a full breakdown of Slovenia.

EURO 2024 TEAM GUIDE – Slovenia: Sesko and Co can cause England issuesNicknamed The Dragons, it appears Slovenia are riding high on what’s been an excellent season and will pose a huge threat to Gareth Southgate ‘s England squad.Mail Online

 

Who do England want to win?

So England will be watching this one closely. Not directly – they will be getting ready for their game against Serbia later – but this will of course have an impact on their group.

One would assume Denmark will come out on top here. There’s plenty of European talent in their side, from Hojbjerg, to Eriksen, to Hojlund. Is it enough to test England? We’ll see, but I think Three Lions fans should be backing Slovenia here.

Oblak, Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza, Stojanovic, Gnezda Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar, Sporar, Sesko.

Obviously, Sesko starts. As does Oblak in goal. That’s about it for the mainstream names, but the talent is there.

 

TEAM NEWS: DENMARK

Schmeichel, Christensen, Andersen, Vestergaard, Bah, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Kristiansen, Eriksen, Wind, Hojlund.

Plenty of familiar faces for the Danes, with Eriksen back three years after his cardio arrest at the last Euros.

 

It was a mixed bag for Hojlund in his first season at Manchester United but he showed signs of why they splashed the cash to get him and it looks like he’ll be the man leading the line for Denmark for years to come.

On paper, Slovenia are the weakest team in the group and there will be real pressure on the Danes to come away with three points today.

 

 

Slovenia yet to go beyond group stage

Can Slovenia make history by qualifying from the group?

They’ve never had a better team than this and with a brute of a goalscorer, they have a player would would get in plenty of many more fancied sides in Germany and if they can stick in games, his presence should give them a puncher’s chance.

Their fans are going to relish every moment and clearly enjoyed the trek to the stadium.

Stuttgart Arena is playing host this afternoon and already there are plenty of fans inside the stadium to soak up every bit of atmosphere.

Three points today would be enormous in what looks on paper like it could be a tight group, especially between England’s opponents if the Three Lions progress top as anticipated.

 

 

 

 

21:33

Good afternoon and welcome!

England fans will take a keen interest in the second game of the day and first in Group C, with Slovenia and Denmark locking horns.

This could be a battle of the big forwards, with the towering Benjamin Sesko leading Slovenia’s line and Man United’s Rasmus Hojlund the key man for his side. Keep it here for all the build-up and team news before we bring you live updates from the 5:00pm kick-off.