Christian Eriksen scored for Denmark in their opening European Championship match against Slovenia on Sunday, three years after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during the previous tournament in 2021.
Eriksen, 32, found the net in the 17th minute in Stuttgart, capitalizing on a flicked pass from Jonas Wind inside the box. For much of the match, Eriksen’s goal seemed poised to secure a win for Denmark, but a deflected strike by Erik Janža in the 77th minute earned Slovenia a draw.
WHAT A MOMENT, UNBELIEVABLE! ❤️
Who else than Christian Eriksen!? 🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/LLiW3hQRmq
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 16, 2024
“Well, it was nice [to score], it came at a good time,” Eriksen commented. “We had talked about scoring from a set-piece and we did and, unfortunately, the others did too, but we scored and got off to a good start. It was great with so many Danish fans.”
In 2021, Eriksen collapsed in the 43rd minute of the game against Finland, which was at 0-0 at the time. Finland eventually won 1-0, with Eriksen being named man of the match. Danish football federation director Peter Moeller revealed that Eriksen received heart massage while being treated on the field. “He fell over and got help and heart massage on the field,” Moeller told Danish public broadcaster DR. “He was fortunately awake when he left the stadium.”
At the time of his cardiac arrest, Eriksen was an Inter Milan player. He later signed with Premier League side Brentford in 2022, before joining Manchester United on a three-year deal that same year.
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand praised Eriksen’s performance. “He [Eriksen] has something very special,” Hjulmand said. “He played a fantastic game for us today and he is the rhythm of our team. We want to push him close to the goal and we see again today why, because he has some finishing and breakthrough skills that we need.”
Despite criticism for relying on Eriksen, who had limited playing time for Manchester United in the past season, Hjulmand remains confident in his decision. “I have never had my doubts with Christian as a football player, you cannot hold down that kind of class. He is a natural player who knows the rhythm of the game – we say he’s the heart of our game. For me he’s a great player, and he showed it today,” he stated.
Eriksen’s goal came 1,100 days after he had to be resuscitated on the pitch in Denmark’s Euro 2020 game against Finland in Copenhagen.
