Slovenia wear black armbands for their clash with Denmark in touching tribute to Millwall star Matija Sarkic... after the goalkeeper's death aged 26
Slovenia wore black armbands to commemorate late goalkeeper Matija SarkicMillwall goalkeeper died aged 26 on Saturday days after playing for MontenegroLISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! How Southgate made it enjoyable to play for England again
Slovenia players wore black armbands during their Euro 2024 opener to pay tribute to the late Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.
Sarkic passed away aged 26 on Saturday, just days after a man-of-the-match performance in Montenegro's defeat to Belgium.
For their Group C clash with Denmark at the MHPArena, Matjaz Kek's team donned the commemorative armbands emblazoned with a black fleur-de-lis.
Denmark took an early lead through Christian Eriksen but the side captained by Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak fought back and secured a point courtesy of a late goal from Erik Janza.
Following the game a social media post from The Montenegrin FA's official account expressed gratitude to their fellow former Yugoslav country for the gesture.
Slovenia wore black armbands against Denmark to pay tribute to Millwall star Matija Sarkic
The 26-year-old passed away on Saturday after falling ill in the Montenegrin town of Budva
In a post on Facebook the Montenegro FA expressed their gratitude to Matjaz Kek's side for the gesture
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'In the first match of the European Championship, the Slovenian national team wore a black flag in memory of our goalkeeper Matija Šarkic.' The post read.
'With this move, Jan Oblak and his teammates showed compassion for everyone in our country and paid respect to our Matia on the biggest stage.
'Slovenians, thank you from the bottom of my heart!'
Born in Grimsby to a Montenegrin father and English mother, Sarkic was on international duty when he collapsed after falling ill before passing away in the Montenegrin town of Budva.
Sarkic's twin brother Oliver played alongside him in Anderlecht's youth academy, and Matija had attended his wedding just one week ago.
In the wake of Matija's passing, Oliver shared a heartbreaking photo of the brothers sharing a moment together with a heart emoji on his Instagram story.