Denmark national football team midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field in the 43rd minute during his side’s UEFA Euro 2020 Group B match opening match against Finland at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 29-year-old Eriksen was immediately given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency lifesaving procedure performed during a heart attack, on the pitch as he collapsed while running near the left touchline after a Denmark throw-in.
CPR involves compressing the chest, which helps supply oxygen to the brain and other vital organs until normal heart activity is restored.
The teammates of Christian Eriksen gathered around him as Denmark captain Simon Kjaer appeared to stick his fingers in the midfielder's mouth to clear his airway or check Eriksen hadn't swallowed his tongue.
Simon Kjaer then ensured that the Danish players formed a ring to block the view for the photographers to take pictures and videos of Christian Eriksen when doctors and paramedics were trying to resuscitate him.
Simon Kjaer was also seen comforting Christian Eriksen's distressed wife Sabrina Kvist, who was seen crying at the edge of the field.
Christian Eriksen, an Inter Milan player, was stretchered off the field and later admitted to a hospital and stabilised. He is currently stable and has sent his greetings to his teammates.
Update regarding Christian Eriksen. pic.twitter.com/YuKD9hS9LV
— DBU - En Del Af Noget Større (@DBUfodbold) June 13, 2021
The match between Denmark and Finland, which was initially suspended, resumed after one hour and 45 minutes. The Finns went on to secure a 1-0 win with a header from striker Joel Pohjanpalo.
Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen’s former cardiologist Dr Sanjay Sharma has said that the midfielder had no history of heart issues during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
“I thought, 'Oh my God? Is there something there that we didn't see?' But I have looked at all the test results and everything looked perfect," Sharma was quoted as saying to The Mail.
"From the day we signed him, it was my job to screen him and we tested him every year. So certainly his tests up to 2019 were completely normal, with no obvious underlying cardiac fault. I can vouch for that because I did the tests," he added.
Ahead of Denmark's Group B encounter against Belgium, the Danish FA announced that Eriksen will have an ICD - implantable cardioverter defibrillator - inserted near his heart. Team doctor Morten Boesen revealed that the Inter Milan midfielder accepted the treatment, which has been recommended by specialists nationally and internationally.
Featured photo: WOLFGANG RATTAY/Friedemann Vogel / AFP / POOL
