Analysis: Denmark dare to dream again after Copenhagen fairytale

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group B - Russia v Denmark - Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark - June 21, 2021 Denmark's players and staff celebrate after the match Pool via REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - On their way out of the tournament and having lost Christian Eriksen to a cardiac arrest, Denmark tore up the script to secure a spot in the Euro 2020 knockout stages in a fairytale ending that Hans Christian Andersen could barely have imagined.

The Danes had taken the 2-0 lead they needed against Russia to go second in Group B if Belgium beat Finland, but Artyem Dzyuba's 70th-minute penalty sent them down to third again, their tournament hopes ebbing away.