Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during his nation’s opening match versus Finland at Euro 2020 last Saturday in Copenhagen.
In the 43rd minute, the Inter Milan midfielder stumbled and collapsed to the floor as Thomas Delaney aimed a throw in towards Eriksen. The 29-year-old needed CPR after captain Simon Kjaer had heroically cleared his airways ahead of the medical team’s rapid arrival on the scene.
The medical team used a defibrillator to resuscitate Eriksen on the pitch, and he was conscious as he was carried off on a stretcher and transported from Parken Stadium – where fans were chanting Eriksen’s name – to nearby Rigshospitalet.
The collapse, which evoked vivid memories of Fabrice Muamba’s own incident in 2012, led to an outpouring of tributes from around the footballing world and beyond, with Romelu Lukaku dedicating his celebration to his Inter Milan teammate after opening the scoring against Russia later that evening.
After Eriksen was confirmed to be stable, the match between Denmark and Finland was controversially resumed and the Finns stole a 1-0 win thanks to a Pohjanpalo header from close-range in the second half.
Despite a number of complaints from Danish players and their coach surrounding the circumstances, good news broke as Eriksen confirmed he was ‘OK’ and seeking clarification over exactly what happened.
Ahead of Denmark’s clash with Belgium tonight, Lukaku revealed that the Red Devils will kick the ball out of play during the 10th minute – Eriksen’s number – as a tribute to the midfielder.
Meanwhile, the Danish FA confirmed Eriksen will be fitted with a heart regulating device after his cardiac arrest. It appears unlikely that the midfielder will ever return to football.
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