Kek pays tribute to Slovenia fans after Denmark draw

Slovenia head coach Matjaz Kek paid tribute to the fans who supported his side as they came from 1-0 down to draw with Denmark in Euro 2024.

Cristian Eriksen gave Denmark the lead after 17 minutes, latching on to a ball in the box and firing past Jan Oblak.

But Slovenia persevered and hit back in the 77th minute through Erik Janza, who ultimately earned his nation a point.

It was a noisy atmosphere in Stuttgart, with the crowd erupting when the equaliser went in and Kek was full of praise for his players and the fans.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “When the fans help you in this way, when you see so many smiling faces throughout the day, when even the opposing fans show you respect, that makes me happy to be a part of this spectacle. I thank them all.

“The two halves were very different, and I think the result is fair.

“We showed them too much respect in the first half, and then we managed to break free from that in the second period and our game looked a lot better.

⚖️ Janža earns Slovenia a point after Eriksen’s opener 🇸🇮🇩🇰#EURO2024 | #SVNDEN pic.twitter.com/nf8qUSLaHs

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 16, 2024

“We played against a very good team, but I think we were naive after we conceded.

“Many of my players have never played such a big competition.

“When we saw something was possible today, they started playing.

“I think we will learn from this. When this team plays their second or third big tournament, they will be much stronger from the outset.

“If a goalkeeper like Jan Oblak only has to save one big chance, that says a lot about the performance.

“We had some problems in the first half, but then the boys came back with incredible belief in themselves.

“I can only congratulate them. We changed things up tactically in the second half, we pressed their midfield more and the game shifted more our way.”