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Danish Soccer Star Christian Eriksen Collapses during Euro 2020 Match against Finland

Jun 13, 2021

03:15 P.M.

What was supposed to be a good match between Denmark and Finland turned into a very scary moment after 29-year-old Christian Eriksen collapsed during the game.

The scary incident took place at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen and, after Eriksen fell unconscious out of the blue, the match had to be suspended for an hour and a half.

Eriksen, who currently plays for Inter Milan, was walking near the sideline on the 43rd minute when he began to stagger and then fell forward onto the pitch.

Denmark's midfielder Christian Eriksen taking part in the MD-1 training session at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark | Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

A TERRIFYING MOMENT

His teammates immediately rushed towards him and asked for help from the trainers on the other side. An emergency team was quick to assist the unconscious player lying on the turf.

Simon Kjaer, captain of the Danish national team, asked his teammates to circle Eriksen to keep him shielded from the cameras.

Denmark's players forming a barrierr as paramedics attend to midfielder Christian Eriksen during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark | Photo: Wolfgang Rattay/AFP via Getty Images

With tears in their eyes, the Danish players waited as the emergency team performed chest compressions and CPR on the 29-year-old star, who, after ten minutes, was carried off the field on a stretcher.

According to Peter Moeller, the director of the Danish Soccer Federation, Eriksen got a "heart massage" and was awake when he left the pitch to be transported to a hospital.

Sabrina Jensen, Christian Eriksen's being consoled by Denmark's national team captain Simon Kjaert Eriksen was receiving medical treatment during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group B match between Denmark and Finland in Copenhagen, Denmark | Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

Morten Boeson, Denmark's national team doctor, later confirmed that the midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest and that he was "gone" before being resuscitated. He added:

"We started the resuscitation and we managed to do it. How close were we to losing him? I don’t know, but we got him back after one defib [defibrillation], so that’s quite fast.”

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Denmark's players crying as paramedics attend to midfielder Christian Eriksen after he collapsed on the pitch during the UEFA EURO 2020 Group B football match between Denmark and Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark | Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

The match was resumed an hour and a half later after both teams agreed to finish the game. It has been reported that the decision was made after Eriksen contacted his teammates through video chat.

Eriksen was lucky as other players have suddenly died on the pitch before, such as Benfica's Miklos Feher back in 2004, Manchester City's Marc-Vivien Foe in 2003, and Alverca's Alex Apolinário in 2021.