Finland coach Markku Kanerva appreciates what happened to Christian Eriksen will remain with his players long after Euro 2020, but he hopes they can focus as they prepare to take on Russia.
Denmark midfielder Eriksen was given CPR on the pitch after collapsing with no other players around him in the first half of Saturday's Group B game against Finland in Copenhagen. It was later confirmed the 29-year-old had suffered a cardiac arrest, with Morten Boesen - the team doctor for Denmark - revealing he was "gone" before being resuscitated on the field.
After a lengthy delay, the two nations returned to the pitch to complete the game. Finland went on to win 1-0, Joel Pohjanpalo grabbing the goal with his team's only attempt during proceedings.
While Eriksen is undergoing further tests in hospital - he posted an update on his condition via the Danish Football Union on Twitter on Tuesday, including a picture of him smiling while giving a thumbs-up gesture, Kanerva knows what unfolded will linger in some of his players' minds.
"It is hard to estimate how what happened to Eriksen is affecting different people. Of course we all have it in our minds and we are very glad that he's doing better," he told the media. "I hope that with regarding the difficult situation, we will be able to concentrate on our next match.
"Certainly, it will remain in our minds, even after the tournament. It's not an easy task all of a sudden to concentrate only on football, because there were bigger things than football in play. Hopefully, we can concentrate fully and do our best."
Russia lost their opening game 3-0 to Belgium but will hope to bounce back against Finland, a team they have beaten in all four previous meetings since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They have scored at least three goals in each of those matches, though coach Stanislav Cherchesov is taking nothing for granted.
"It was a somewhat surprise result (against Denmark), but Finland's attitude towards the game did not surprise me," Cherchesov, who revealed the injured Yuri Zhirkov could miss the rest of the tournament after coming off against Belgium, told the media. "Their team is a strong one and they showed it. The game could have worked out differently, but we have known from the beginning that they are a strong opponent."
Players to watch
Finland - Joel Pohjanpalo
Pohjanpalo will forever have a place in history after scoring Finland's maiden goal in the tournament. He will be hoping to help them become the first team to win their opening two European Championship matches since Croatia back in 1996. The 26-year-old spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Union Berlin from Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen, scoring six times in 19 appearances.
Russia - Aleksandr Golovin
Russia endured a tough start on home soil, managing just one on-target attempt as they were soundly beaten in St Petersburg. Aleksandr Golovin did his best in attack, supplying seven crosses and creating one chance. Back in action at the same venue, the playmaker can expect to see far more of the ball after the Russians had just 33.6 per cent of possession against the Belgians.