Denmark have reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals on the back of an unbreakable bond generated by Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in the early stages of the tournament, coach Kasper Hjulmand said after Saturday’s 2-1 last-eight win over Czech Republic.

“I still think about Christian every single day and that he should have been here,” Hjulmand told a news conference.”

”We are happy that he survived and we carried him in our hearts all the way to this match and will do the same going to Wembley. The fundamental values of football came through in those seconds and those days, and we all remembered why we started to play football.

“Christian has been a part of the team for a long time as this is not something we’ve built overnight. And he is a big part of this result as well as a big part of our road to Wembley.”

Midfielder Thomas Delaney, Man of the Match after scoring Denmark’s opening goal against the Czechs with a thumping header, added: “Christian had said the other day how proud he was of us.

“He has been our best player for many years and we carry him in our hearts. Making him proud is something that makes me feel happy.”

Delaney emphasised that Denmark were fired up to match past generations, namely the side that played some spectacular football in the 1986 World Cup and the team that emerged Euro champions in 1992.

“My generation grew up admiring the history of Denmark’s ’86 and ’92 sides, and we are overjoyed that we have been able to give our fans a gift,” he said.

“Being in the semi-finals means we are in great company now. We have a goal and we’re going to Wembley with that. It certainly has been an amazing journey for us,” Delaney said.