Slovenia wear black armbands for their clash with Denmark in touching tribute to Millwall star Matija Sarkic… after the goalkeeper’s death aged 26

Slovenian players wore black armbands during their Euro 2024 opener to pay tribute to the late Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.

Sarkic died on Saturday at the age of 26, just days after his man-of-the-match performance in Montenegro’s defeat by Belgium.

For their Group C match against Denmark at the MHParena, Matjaz Kek’s team wore the commemorative armbands decorated with a black fleur-de-lis.

Denmark took an early lead through Christian Eriksen, but the team led by Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak fought back and secured a point thanks to a late goal from Erik Janza.

After the match, a social media post on the official account of the Montenegrin Football Association expressed their gratitude to their fellow former Yugoslav country for the gesture.

The 26-year-old died on Saturday after falling ill in the Montenegrin city of Budva

In a post on Facebook, the Montenegro FA expressed its gratitude to Matjaz Kek for the gesture

‘In the first match of the European Championship, the Slovenian national team carried a black flag in memory of our goalkeeper Matija Šarkic.’ Read the message.

“With this step, 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!’

Sarkic, born in Grimsby to a Montenegrin father and English mother, was on international duty when he collapsed after falling ill before dying in the Montenegrin city of Budva.

Sarkic’s twin brother Oliver played alongside him in Anderlecht’s youth academy, and Matija attended his wedding a week ago.

Following Matija’s death, Oliver shared a heartbreaking photo of the brothers sharing a moment together with a heart emoji on his Instagram Story.