Schick’s 45-metre golazo took our breath away, but Eriksen’s battle for life provided a perspective on what is more important. If not for the top-class medical care at hand and the timely intervention of the Denmark midfielder’s team-mates, the tournament would have witnessed a colossal tragedy.

How could such a healthy young man be staring at death on the field that made him a star? Although cardiac arrest can lay anyone low, medical reasons shouldn’t prevent football experts from probing how the sport is being run in Europe. There has been no respite for players in leagues across Europe after the COVID-induced break last year.

In addition to domestic league, cup and continental club competitions, players had to take part in qualifications for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. So, they have all come to Euro2020 knackered. In alliance with national bodies, Uefa must try its best to ensure adequate rest for players.

Asmir Begovic, a Bosnian international, has eloquently highlighted Uefa’s lack of vision with this tweet. “The health and well-being of players has long been ignored. Shoving more and more games in more condensed periods will only lead to bigger health issues for players. Let (us) hope the people in power will take notice at some point.”

Football players aren’t ponies that can put on a show at the crack of a whip. The folly of killing the golden goose cannot be repeated by a body that is in charge of players’ welfare. Clubs can also desist from sending their star players out in meaningless matches. The media are not blameless either, as they crank up pressure on clubs to go for a treble or a quadruple every season. They need a story line to sell.

On the field, the picks of first round matches were The Netherlands vs Ukraine and Germany vs France. It was a quirk of fate that interesting matches invariably started midnight, forcing many football-loving Indians to wake up bleary-eyed the next day.

(The writer has reported the Fifa World Cup from South Africa, Brazil and Russia)