Christian Eriksen is set to undergo additional medical examinations after collapsing during Denmark's friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday evening. The midfielder briefly lost consciousness but was able to leave the pitch on foot following treatment.
Incident Details
The 64th-minute incident occurred in Odense when Eriksen appeared to grasp his chest before falling to the ground. Medical personnel attended to him immediately as teammates showed visible distress. The match, which Denmark led 2-1 through first-half goals from Patrick Dorgu and Joakim Maelhe, was subsequently called off.
Medical Update
Morten Boesen, Denmark's national team doctor, provided an update: "Christian walked off the field on his own. As I see it, the pacemaker is working as it should. He was briefly unconscious but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him." Boesen added that Eriksen will undergo further tests at the hospital to determine the cause of the incident. "We are in close contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay."
The Danish FA confirmed: "Christian Eriksen is conscious and doing well under the circumstances. The match has been called off." Denmark chief Brian Riemer added: "The most important thing is that Christian is doing well. And he has. He has left the pitch and has sent a greeting to the players. But that's why the experience is still scary."
Emotional Reactions
Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, covering the match as a pundit for Danish broadcaster TV2, struggled to hold back tears: "These are horrible pictures, and it completely overshadows the rest of the evening. My thoughts are with the family and the children, and it's a difficult situation to be in right now. This is the second time it has happened, and as Christian's friend also... it's really terrible."
Background
The alarming episode comes five years after Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 during a group stage fixture against Finland. His heart stopped for approximately five minutes before he received life-saving CPR treatment on the pitch. He subsequently had an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) fitted. Reflecting on the ordeal to the BBC in 2022, he said: "I can remember everything apart from the five minutes. Otherwise I remember everything – the throw-in, the ball hitting my knee and then I don't know what happened after. Then I woke up with people around me and felt pressure on my chest, trying to get my breathing back and didn't really understand what was going on. I had no idea what happened. Then it goes through my head: 'Did something happen with my legs, did I break my back?' Then, in the ambulance I heard someone ask how long was I out for and someone said: 'Five minutes' and that was the first time I had heard I was gone. I was gone from this world for five minutes until they got my heartbeat back. But I still didn't believe it was me."
